Taiwan President Lai Ching-te. File photo
| Photo Credit: AP
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te welcomed what he called the “largest-ever” delegation of foreign lawmakers to Taiwan and said on Tuesday that it showed the importance of democracies uniting, even as Beijing pressured members of the delegation not to visit.
“This demonstrates the support and the value various other countries place on Taiwan,” Mr. Lai said. “It also sends an important message to democratic countries around the world. Maintaining democracy requires unity, and we must protect democracy together.”
Mr. Lai made his remarks at a conference in Taipei held by the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), a group of hundreds of lawmakers from dozens of countries concerned about how democracies approach Beijing.
Mr. Lai said at the conference that Taiwan would work with other democracies to protect democracy from “the threat of authoritarian expansionism.”
IPAC has long been despised by the Chinese government,but the group continues to expand. On Tuesday, IPAC leaders announced lawmakers from six new countries were joining the alliance, as well as two lawmakers from Taiwan, a first for the island.
In a written statement, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said IPAC “has no credibility at all”. “China firmly opposes any form of official exchanges between countries with diplomatic ties with China and the Taiwan authorities,” the statement said.
