Annual parliamentarian summit to be held in Taipei in July

Taipei, May 15 (CNA) An international alliance of parliamentarians will be holding its annual summit in Taipei in July, bringing legislators from more than 20 countries to Taiwan, Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said Tuesday.

In a pre-recorded clip aired during the Copenhagen Democracy Summit, Wu announced that the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) will be holding its 2024 Summit this summer in Taipei.

The upcoming event is expected to bring "the largest ever delegation of foreign members of parliament to Taiwan," Wu said in the 40-second clip.

Taiwan was part of the summit's agenda on Tuesday, which included brief pre-recorded addresses by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and incoming President Lai Ching-te (賴清德).

The IPAC and the Alliance of Democracies Foundation, meanwhile, issued a joint statement titled "Free World Pledge Supporting Democratic Taiwan" on Tuesday, in which it called on governments to promote deeper ties with democratic Taiwan and to pursue a policy of active deterrence against Chinese coercion.

The Copenhagen Democracy Summit, co-organized by IPAC and the Alliance of Democracies Foundation, is being held May 14-15 at the Royal Danish Playhouse.

Formed in 2020, IPAC has over 240 members from 27 legislatures and the European Parliament. It is an international, cross-party alliance of parliamentarians from democratic countries focused on relations with the People's Republic of China (PRC).

Its purpose is to create a coordinated response to China on global trade, security and human rights issues.