Quick thread on the launch of IPAC. First, IPAC is important because in a lot of countries groups and lawmakers are very concerned about China and the CCP even if their head of state is someone like Angela Merkel. Driving change in official foreign policy is going to come 1/n
From pressure from a variety of groups that force the government to adjust its foreign policy. In the US that shift was driven by the Trump administration but in other countries it is going to be driven by other groups pressuring the executive to change. This will happen 2/n
Second, this is great because it is across countries, parties, and general ideologies. The great thing about working to challenge China is you get such a range of people teaming up. People that may not agree on anything else but they get in a room and say what can we do. 3/n
Some of the biggest critics of the Merkel policy in Germany is Green Party concerned about China's human rights and environmental policy because of CCP authoritarianism. Now imagine them with working with Brexiteers and GOP hawks. It's creating a broad coalition. 4/n
Third, this is going to be the seeds of multi-national alliance or coalition to challenge China. Please note many of members of the Parliamentary group are under governments who are very soft or do little on China. You can't form alliances to challenge China if the 5/n
Government refuses to either recognize the problem or take steps to address the problem if recognized. This is planting the seeds for more formal alliances later. The tide is turning and things are changing.
