TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Australia’s New South Wales Legislative Council lambasted China’s coercive tactics in a motion passed on Wednesday (June 5).
The move was in response to a letter by the Chinese Consulate-General in Sydney criticizing Australian lawmakers for praising Taiwan’s democracy and attending a Taiwanese event celebrating President Lai Ching-te’s (賴清德) inauguration.
The motion “condemns the attempted political interference and intimidation by the Peoples Republic of China officials towards democratically elected members of the New South Wales and Commonwealth legislatures.” It admonished foreign governments attempting to “interfere in Australian politics by trying to limit the freedom of speech and association of members of Parliament.”
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said, “We are not going to be in a situation where any Labor MP is going to be bullied or intimidated about going to a function.” Legislative Council member Mark Latham said “MPs have every right to attend a dinner celebrating Taiwanese democracy,” adding that lawmakers “should be free to go to events with their constituents to speak their mind.”
The motion comes after Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong reaffirmed lawmakers’ right to decide how to interact with Taiwan on June 3. China issued warnings to Australian politicians about not attending Taiwan’s presidential inauguration.
Despite this, a delegation of two lawmakers from the Labor Party and three from the Liberal Party attended the May 20 ceremony.