The annual summit of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance (IPAC) yesterday listed peace in the Taiwan Strait and resistance to Chinese economic coercion as top priorities for the year ahead.
The two priorities were voted on at the Hague Summit, which brought together 52 parliamentarians from 30 countries and six continents.
The first initiative will seek to mobilize international action to highlight the importance of the Taiwan Strait to global security, rule of law and economic stability. The second initiative calls for a whole-of-society approach to building resilience, including pushing for parliamentary resolutions, and urges government ministers and diplomats to embed resilience into diplomatic and economic engagement with China.
During the debate, lawmakers from Australia, Japan, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Panama said that countries in the Indo-Pacific region understand the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. However, many world leaders have yet to fully appreciate the global implications of developments in the region, which have fundamental consequences for the global economy and security, they added.
Jan Paternot, co-chairman of IPAC Netherlands, said that given the volume of international trade passing through the Taiwan Strait and Taiwan's key role in the semiconductor industry, the economic crisis caused by the escalation of tensions could have a greater global impact than the new crown epidemic. He added that maintaining the "status quo" across the Taiwan Strait should be the top priority of the international community.
Democratic Progressive Party legislator Nagalin Thien, who represented Taiwan's Legislative Yuan at the summit, said that lawmakers from IPAC member states recognize the importance of peace across the Taiwan Strait to the global economy, but government officials do not necessarily share the same understanding. Efforts are needed to bridge the gap between lawmakers and the executive, she added.
At a press conference after the summit, Dutch lawmaker Tom van der Lee said the proposals went beyond the concerns of any single country, describing them as a global problem that required international cooperation to solve.
In response to media inquiries on how the international community should show support for the Philippines as China continues to escalate tensions in the region, Paternot said the Philippines refuses to tolerate violations of its territory and always insists on defending its rights and letting its voice be heard.
This deserves recognition and the international community should follow its example and demonstrate support for international law, he said.
In accordance with Dutch policy, the Netherlands sends warships through the Taiwan Strait and other waters every two years to demonstrate its commitment to freedom of navigation, van der Lee said, adding that The Hague, as an important center of international law, will continue to support the Philippines in defending its rights and promoting peace.
Asked under what circumstances Japan would send troops to assist Taiwan in responding to a Chinese invasion, former Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani said Japan was cooperating with other countries to prevent such a scenario.
However, if Taiwan is invaded and Japan's security is seriously threatened, Japan can provide support or cooperate with other countries in accordance with its laws. The extent of any involvement will depend on the circumstances of each case, he added.
Additional reporting by Weili Fang.
News source: Taipei Times
