Democracies need to push back against the China model of autocracy-led economic growth. One day the Chinese people might think trading freedom for GDP growth isn't the good deal it once seemed to be. Especially if the Chinese Communist Party breaks the implicit deal because it is not providing economic growth even as it crushes freedom.
The PRC attempted to prevent legislators from at least six countries from attending an international parliamentary forum that works to counter the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) actions to subvert the international order and democratic principles. The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) was established in 2020 by a group of legislators from the Five Eyes, Germany, Japan, Norway, and Sweden to form a coordinated response between democracies to challenges that the PRC’s expanding global influence poses to the free, open, and rules-based international order. IPAC holds an annual summit, which Taiwan hosted this year. IPAC members at this year’s summit in Taiwan launched the 2758 Initiative, which pledges to advocate for resolutions in members’ home parliaments that counter the PRC’s efforts to suppress Taiwan’s status and representation in the international community.
This sure sounds like the League of Democracies that I proposed in 2019. Although I conceived of it as a broader body and not just the national parliamentary body level.
The IPAC isn't based on Taiwan. But this year Taiwan hosted the annual summit.
NOTE: TDR Winter War of 2022 coverage continues here.
NOTE: I'm adding updates on the Last Hamas War in this post.NOTE: I'm now on Substack, with The Dignified Rant: Evolved.
