Global Politicians Group Urges Pressure On China

Parliamentarians from eight countries and the European Union have formed a new alliance aimed at pushing the international community to adopt tougher policies to counter what they say is the threat that China poses to global values and human rights

The China hawks are accusing Beijing of 'rapidly eroding freedoms in Hong Kong', while launching cyber-attacks and undermining democracies elsewhere.

The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) is led by representatives of major parties from nine democracies across the globe, including the United States, the UK, Germany, Sweden, Japan and Australia.

They include former US Presidential candidate and senator Marco Rubio, former leader of the UK's Conservative Party, Iain Duncan-Smith, and Chairman of the Intelligence Committee in Australia, Andrew Hastie

The group is convinced that China poses a “global challenge”, and democratic norms that keep them “free and safe are coming under ever-greater pressure.”

In a statement, its leaders said China pays "very little attention" to international agreements, and hasn't been held to the same standards as other countries.

It accused Beijing of pursuing an increasingly aggressive foreign policy – actively working in democracies to undermine their political systems, meddling in foreign universities and attempting to buy the support of politicians, and conducting cyberattacks abroad.

It said no single country can stand up to this threat alone, and an international coalition is thus needed for a coordinated response against the Chinese Communist Party.

"No nation should be able to freely jeopardise global values and human rights", they said.

IPAC said its first priority would be to push forward legislation in all member parliaments aimed at stopping the mass detention of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang.

China has long denied such allegations, saying members of the minority group are merely being educated in vocational training centres aimed at combatting extremism.

IPAC also accused Beijing of 'rapidly eroding freedoms in Hong Kong and elsewhere' using the Covid-19 pandemic as an excuse.

If nothing is done now, members asked, then when? When China has invaded Taiwan?