Indian legislators support Taiwan at IPAC meet in Washington

Indian legislators voiced support to Taiwan at the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) meet in Washington held from September 12 to 14.

Sixty legislators from thirty countries came under one roof in Washington, vowing to sensitise democratic governments to the challenges posed by the rise of the People's Republic of China under Xi Jinping.

While all eyes are on the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit where the premiers of India, China and Russia are meeting in the Uzbek city of Samarkand, this meet in Washington already had the sparks flying with legislators from different countries calling for greater support for Taiwan and moving crucial supply chains away from China.

India has been an active participant at IPAC after it became a member last year. Sujeet Kumar, BJD MP who is part of the IPAC forum, apprised legislators about the aggression by China witnessed on Indian borders since 2020 Galwan Valley clashes and stressed on the need for democratic countries to join hands to resist coercion and intimidation by Beijing.

While India has been trying a balancing act, both on Russian war in Ukraine and Chinese aggression in Taiwan, the latter has clearly driven a sharper response from Indian participants at the IPAC meet with concerns being raised about not just Chinese aggression on the border but cultural genocide in Tibet and moves by Chinese Communist Party to interfere in Dalai Lama's succession.