The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) International Relations Director, Karla Jones, pointed out that ALEC members recognize Taiwan’s contributions to the international community and are aware of the Chinese Communist Party’s attempts to exclude Taiwan from international participation. The democratic camp should collectively condemn the CCP’s actions in undermining Taiwan’s legitimacy, and counter the CCP’s narrative in order to highlight Taiwan’s status as a sovereign state.
ALEC, a bipartisan organization for inter-state and inter-party exchange among local legislatures in the United States, with approximately a quarter of current state legislators as members, has repeatedly passed resolutions in support of Taiwan. In 2022, ALEC passed a resolution supporting Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations, including the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL).
In August, a bipartisan group of state legislators from ALEC visited Taiwan. Karla Jones, the International Relations Director who accompanied the group, recently spoke to the Central News Agency. When asked about China’s distortion of UN Resolution 2758 and its efforts to diminish Taiwan’s international space, Jones stated that the visiting state legislators believe a more comprehensive approach is needed to clarify Taiwan’s independence as a country. State legislatures can urge the U.S. Senate to pass the “Taiwan International Solidarity Act” through policies or legislation.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the “Taiwan International Solidarity Act” on July 25, 2023, asserting that UN Resolution 2758 does not pertain to Taiwan and urging the U.S. to represent Taiwan in international organizations. The Act calls for organizations to resist Chinese attempts to distort resolutions, wording, policies, or procedures related to Taiwan through expressions of opinion, voting, and influence.
Jones emphasized that another aspect of Taiwan policy may involve appealing to the International Olympic Committee to treat Taiwan equally. “As long as Taiwanese athletes win gold medals, the national anthem and flag of Taiwan should be displayed.” ALEC members expressed anger at the treatment of Taiwanese athletes who won medals at the Paris Olympics.
She believes that the democratic camp should collectively condemn the CCP’s actions in undermining Taiwan’s legitimacy, which include threatening Taiwan’s diplomatic allies, excluding Taiwan from meaningful international participation, and insisting that Taiwan should not be recognized at the Olympics. She emphasized that while “rogue nation” Russia invades Ukraine, the International Olympic Committee treats democratic Taiwan in a manner that is fundamentally “unreasonable”.
Jones mentioned that ALEC members recognize Taiwan’s potential contributions to the international community and are aware of the CCP’s attempts to exclude Taiwan from international participation. She stressed that countering the CCP’s narrative of “rebellious provinces” is crucial in highlighting Taiwan as a sovereign state, as Taiwan has long deserved the rights and responsibilities enjoyed by other countries.
(Translated from Central News Agency)