Taipei: Luke de Pulford, the founder of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), has said the organization is not "anti-China" but instead seeks to help democratic governments develop more realistic policies toward China.

According to Focus Taiwan, de Pulford, who established the global network of lawmakers in 2020, stated that the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) branding of IPAC as "anti-China" was part of Beijing's campaign to discredit its critics. He noted that when lawmakers from different traditions worldwide speak with one voice about concerns related to the behavior of the contemporary CCP, Beijing seeks to silence them.

He described IPAC as a broad coalition of legislators from different political backgrounds who often hold differing views on China and how to engage with it. De Pulford emphasized that many IPAC members have "a deep love and respect for China, Chinese culture, and the Chinese people" and that their opposition is towards authoritarianism, not China itself.

De Pulford highlighted that Beijing's efforts to portray IPAC as anti-China had not hindered the organization's rapid growth, especially in Latin America. IPAC now comprises 320 lawmakers from 45 legislatures worldwide. The alliance aims to encourage democracies to adopt more realistic policies toward China rather than changing China's behavior.

Since its founding, IPAC has regularly issued statements and resolutions on Taiwan, emphasizing maintaining peace across the Taiwan Strait, supporting Taiwan's self-determination, and resisting Beijing's diplomatic and economic coercion. The alliance's November 2025 summit in Brussels featured Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim delivering an in-person address at a European Parliament venue.

During a summit in Taipei in the summer of 2024, IPAC brought together 49 lawmakers from 24 legislatures across five continents, marking the largest parliamentary delegation ever to visit Taiwan. De Pulford mentioned that while IPAC invited Taiwan's main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) to join when the alliance was founded, the party has yet to participate.

He expressed openness to KMT's participation and mentioned having discussions with the party, although some have been challenging. De Pulford highlighted that political parties in Taiwan that seek fruitful international relations should not overlook IPAC, as it represents some of their strongest international allies.