Ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Fan Yun (??) said Sunday that she and another Taiwanese lawmaker have been invited by the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) to join the group and its decision-making body.
Fan said on Facebook that she and Jang Chyi-lu (???) from the smaller Taiwan People’s Party, which holds five seats out of 113 in the Legislative Yuan, were invited to become the first Taiwanese members of IPAC and co-chair the country’s representation in the alliance.
Fan said she will help about 40 “like-minded” Taiwanese lawmakers who have applied to participate in the group to secure membership, seeking a collective voice for Taiwan over issues regarding China.
Calling the IPAC move a “rare development,” Fan criticized the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT), which has 38 seats in the Legislative Yuan, for being unwilling to join the alliance.
Fan explained that Taiwan has been unable to obtain IPAC membership because the international organization, formed by parliaments of countries around the world, requires the participation of at least two major political parties.
However, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (???), a former KMT lawmaker, has previously denied similar accusations from the DPP, calling them a smear campaign.
Founded in 2020, IPAC is an international cross-party group made up of about 250 legislators from 30 countries who are working toward reform on how democratic countries approach China.
Countries currently represented in IPAC include Japan, Australia, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel