Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China’s (IPAC) co-founder and executive director Luke de Pulford last week revealed in Taipei that Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan’s Speaker Han Kuo-yu declined to meet with IPAC during a May trip to Europe.
IPAC is an international network of lawmakers from the U.S., UK, EU, Japan, Australia, and other countries that coordinates parliamentary responses to issues related to China with a democratic oversight. Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) is a Taiwanese politician from the Kuomintang (KMT, or Nationalist Party) who has since Feb. 1, 2024 served as the President (Speaker) of Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan, the island’s legislature.
Han allegedly refused to meet De Pulford during his visit to the UK and instead had engagements with parliamentarians outside the IPAC framework. The IPAC leader said the alliance has always kept its doors open to Taiwan’s Kuomintang (KMT), but regrettably received no response from Han, reported FVT News, a Taiwanese media.
IPAC Taiwan co-chair and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Fan Yun said on June 1 that the KMT has long been concerned about offending the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and has therefore been unwilling to participate in this important global cross-party parliamentary diplomacy organization.
She expressed hope that the KMT would become more actively involved in the future, according to the report.
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De Pulford: Han Kuo-yu declined to meet IPAC during UK visit
De Pulford, who recently visited Taiwan and gave an interview to Liberty times on May 27, said that IPAC has always welcomed the KMT because many foreign parliamentarians who actively support Taiwan and speak on its behalf are IPAC members. However, he said, the KMT has not accepted the invitation.
As an example, De Pulford noted that during Han Kuo-yu’s May 9–17 visit to Europe with a bipartisan group of legislators, Han specifically requested not to meet with IPAC.
De Pulford also recalled IPAC’s annual summit held in Taipei in 2024. He said the KMT was invited three separate times. In fact, the KMT was invited even before an invitation was extended to President Lai Ching-te. Nevertheless, IPAC received no response. After the summit opened, however, the KMT claimed it had never received an invitation.
The summit brought delegations from 23 countries and the European Parliament to Taipei to discuss issues including the challenges posed by the CCP to democratic nations. President Lai Ching-te and Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim attended the event, while Speaker Han Kuo-yu was notably absent, sparking widespread public discussion.
De Pulford expressed frustration that IPAC has repeatedly invited the KMT to participate in recent years but has rarely received a response. Instead, he said, the KMT has sought to engage with foreign parliamentarians outside the IPAC framework.
He further revealed that he had heard the KMT maintained internal rules discouraging contact with IPAC. Some KMT legislators had even allegedly attempted to prevent the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy from providing funding to IPAC.
In addition, rumors circulated within KMT circles claiming that IPAC had received large sums of money to facilitate Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim’s visit to Brussels.
De Pulford said such remarks do not help build trust and credibility. However, he emphasized that IPAC is focused on the future and does not intend to dwell on past grievances. The organization remains willing to meet with KMT representatives whenever it is convenient for them.
Fan Yun: The KMT is worried about offending the CCP
According to a report by NOWnews, IPAC Taiwan co-chair and DPP legislator Fan Yun said on Monday (June 1) that when IPAC held its annual summit in Taiwan two years ago, ten DPP legislators attended, along with three or four lawmakers from the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP).
However, not a single legislator from the Kuomintang was present. The KMT later claimed that it had never received an invitation.
Fan said the IPAC secretariat had stated that invitations were sent three separate times and even produced official correspondence addressed to Legislative Yuan Speaker Han Kuo-yu. Nevertheless, the KMT neither responded to the invitations nor explained why it chose not to send representatives to the event.
Fan Yun said that many KMT lawmakers had privately told her they were not opposed to participating in IPAC activities. However, in the end, not a single KMT legislator attended publicly. According to FTV News, in her view, “the KMT is worried about offending the Chinese Communist Party, and therefore is unwilling to take part in activities organized by this important global cross-party parliamentary diplomacy organization.”
Fan noted that she and Chen Chao-tzu of the Taiwan People’s Party serve as Taiwan’s co-chairs of IPAC. She urged the Kuomintang to participate more actively in future IPAC events, emphasizing that the organization’s doors have always been open to the KMT.
She explained that while IPAC focuses primarily on policies toward China, it does not prescribe a particular political stance. Its members include legislators from across the political spectrum, including left-wing, right-wing, pro-China, and China-critical positions.
Fan further stressed that although Han Kuo-yu may have been unable to meet Luke de Pulford at IPAC’s London secretariat due to scheduling or other reasons, she still hopes that the KMT will actively participate in future annual summits and other IPAC-related activities.
About IPAC
The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) is an international organization composed of parliamentarians from countries around the world. To join, a country’s major political parties must reach a consensus, and two lawmakers from different parties must serve as national co-chairs.
Before 2024, Taiwan was unable to join IPAC because the KMT and, at the time, the Taiwan People’s Party were unwilling to participate.
In July 2024, IPAC held its annual summit in Taipei and subsequently announced Taiwan’s formal admission to the organization. Following Taiwan’s accession, DPP legislator Fan Yun and TPP legislator Chen Chao-tzu became its inaugural co-chairs representing Taiwan.
