Taiwanese President Welcomes Largest-Ever Delegation of Foreign Lawmakers amid Beijing Tensions

Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te hosted a significant delegation of foreign lawmakers, emphasizing the importance of united democracies amid Beijing's opposition. Lai stressed Taiwan's sovereign status and aimed at collaborative efforts to protect democratic values against authoritarian threats from China, highlighting recent tensions and international diplomatic challenges.

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te welcomed what he termed the "largest-ever" delegation of foreign lawmakers to Taiwan, stressing it as a testament to the importance of democracies uniting amid Beijing's pressure against such visits.

"This demonstrates the support and the value various other countries place on Taiwan," Lai said. "It also sends an important message to democratic countries around the world. Maintaining democracy requires unity, and we must protect democracy together.'' He made these remarks at a Taipei conference organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, consisting of lawmakers from 35 countries.

The conference highlighted the increasing threats from Beijing, which views Taiwan as a renegade province. Lai reiterated Taiwan's resolve against political unification with China and emphasized working with other democracies to fend off authoritarian expansionism. Notably, China's heightened military and diplomatic pressures follow Lai's presidency, with members of the delegation facing Chinese diplomatic pressure not to attend.

(With inputs from agencies.)