IPAC co-founder rejects claims about VP Hsiao's speech in Europe

Paris/Taipei, Nov. 17 (CNA) Luke de Pulford, co-founder of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), has denied online rumors about the circumstances surrounding Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim's (蕭美琴) speech in the European Parliament building in Brussels in early November.

Hsiao delivered a speech in the European Parliament building on Nov. 7 as part of the 2025 IPAC summit being held there. It was branded as "historic" because she was the first Taiwanese vice president to deliver a speech there while in office.

Following the speech, social media posts by two Taiwanese netizens claimed "the French BBC reported Taiwan donated 8 billion euros in exchange to secure the venue for (Hsiao's) speech," but de Pulford ridiculed the claim, though he got the figure wrong.

"Unlike what they said in Taiwan, we do not have a budget of 80 billion euros given to us by the Taiwanese government," said de Pulford in English on Saturday during the annual assembly of the European Federation of Taiwanese Associations in Paris.

"This is not true and in fact I think our budget is probably 0.001 percent of that," said de Pulford, who is also IPAC's executive director.

Hsiao's appearance and remarks were highlighted by Taiwan's government and by IPAC, a global alliance of lawmakers from multiple countries and political parties seeking to reform their governments' China policies.

Taiwan's government also rebutted the online claims, and the two netizens -- who had been traveling in Japan -- were questioned by police upon their return to Taiwan on Wednesday for allegedly violating the Social Order Maintenance Act.

Taiwan People's Party Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌), whose party is the second largest opposition group in Taiwan, also questioned the fanfare over Hsiao's appearance at the IPAC event, though he was not totally dismissive of it.

"Being able to borrow that venue may itself be seen as a breakthrough for the Democratic Progressive Party government, so we are not inclined to criticize it harshly," Huang said on Nov. 10.

Resolution 2758 challenge

Speakers at Saturday's European Federation of Taiwanese Associations event also discussed U.N. General Assembly Resolution 2758, saying that Beijing has misinterpreted it to claim sovereignty over Taiwan.

"With this resolution, it's only the question of representation of China in the UN and not the sovereignty of Taiwan in the world," said Shieh Jhy-wey (謝志偉), Taiwan's top representative to the European Union.

The 1971 resolution paved the way for the People's Republic of China to be recognized as "the only legitimate representative of China to the United Nations" while expelling "the representatives of Chiang Kai-shek."

There is no direct mention of Taiwan or the Republic of China (Taiwan's formal name) in it.

De Pulford noted that lawmakers from various countries proposed a model resolution at IPAC's 2024 assembly in Taipei, focusing on how Resolution 2758 makes no mention of Taiwan.

According to the model resolution, "[Resolution 2758] is being misused by Beijing in order to distort perceptions of that document so that it looks as if they have a legal argument to claim sovereignty over Taiwan," he said.

He added that IPAC members took the model resolution back to their respective parliaments, with nine having passed related motions, including those in Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada and Sweden.

De Pulford likened Taiwan to "a lightning rod for China" -- one that provokes strong backlash at any mention -- and said IPAC had faced pressure from Beijing and lost members from Malawi, The Gambia and the Solomon Islands as a result.

Meanwhile, French Senator Olivier Cadic recalled his first official trip to Taiwan, when China warned that 10 European Parliament members would no longer be allowed to visit China, Hong Kong or Macao, "but they did not mention Taiwan."

"This is the proof that officially the Chinese minister of foreign affairs recognized Taiwan was not belonging to China," he said, drawing applause from attendees.