Taiwan civilian groups protest IPAC meeting

TAIPEI, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Multiple civilian groups in Taiwan staged a protest in Taipei on Tuesday against the ongoing annual meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC).

Outside the venue hosting the meeting, protestors displayed banners saying, "The Taiwan question is China's internal affairs and non-interference in other countries' internal affairs is an international norm."

They also chanted slogans such as "one China, peaceful development," "reconciliation and dialogue, peace across the Taiwan Strait" and "oppose interference, oppose 'Taiwan independence'."

In a letter to the IPAC, the protesting groups stated that the so-called "rule-based international order" advocated by the IPAC is essentially to maintain the hegemony of the United States and the geopolitical interests of the West.

"The Taiwan question is China's internal affairs and non-interference in internal affairs is an international norm, which remains the basic stance of all people in Taiwan who are committed to safeguarding peace across the Strait and ensuring social fairness," the letter read.

It added that the policy of Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities, in collaboration with foreign anti-China politicians, not only fails to safeguard peace across the Strait but is also to incite conflicts and harm the society of Taiwan.

Since Lai Ching-te took office, separatists seeking "Taiwan independence" have further colluded with external anti-China forces, undermining peace and stability across the Strait, said Wu Jung-yuan, chairman of the Labor Party in Taiwan and convener of the Cross-Strait Peace and Development Forum, one of the protesting groups.

Taiwan compatriots should consciously join hands with compatriots on the mainland to oppose separatists' attempts to seek independence and safeguard the common homeland of both sides, Wu said, speaking about the protest.

Calling the IPAC "a thoroughly anti-China organization," Chi Chia-lin, who heads the Reunification Alliance Party in Taiwan, warned against attempts of external anti-China forces to influence the society of Taiwan and international public opinion in the name of "democracy" and "human rights."

"The fundamental way to achieve peace and stability in the region lies in peaceful reunification across the Strait," he said.

Chi Hsing, who works with the Taiwan-based magazine The Observer, told Xinhua that, using the IPAC, the DPP authorities are trying to create an illusion that they have support from all democratic countries across the world.

"We have to stand up and let the public on the island know through our rally that a small group of anti-China politicians gathered by IPAC will bring them nothing good and will only increase Taiwan's military spending and damage people's livelihoods," she said.