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Int'l legislators urge countries to assess impact of Taiwan Strait shock

ROC Central News Agency

03/09/2024 12:23 PM

London, March 8 (CNA) Members of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) launched a campaign on Friday urging governments around the world to assess the domestic economic impact of a shock in the Taiwan Strait.

The campaign named "Operation Mist" is aimed at compelling governments to admit that "cross-strait stability is in the domestic interests of nearly every country in the world," the IPAC said.

According to a recent report published by Bloomberg Economics, a war over Taiwan would result in a US$10 trillion shock to the world economy -- about 10 percent of global gross domestic product.

"No country will be immune from this economic fallout, which is likely to be at least five times worse than the economic damage caused by Ukraine," the cross-national parliamentarian group said.

Ordinary people will have to bear the consequences if governments fail to de-escalate and deter cross-strait conflict, it said, adding that "it behooves elected representatives worldwide to ensure this does not happen."

"Operation Mist" was initiated by several co-chairs and members of the IPAC, including German parliamentarian Reinhard Bütikofer, Dutch lawmaker Jan Paternotte, Australian Senator David Fawcett, and French Senator Olivier Cadic.

Stewart Malcolm McDonald, a United Kingdom lawmaker who is also an IPAC member, asked during a parliamentary debate in January whether the U.K. government had conducted economic modeling on the potential impact of an economic blockade by China on Taiwan or a full-scale invasion.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan, a British politician serving as Minister of State for the Indo-Pacific, responded that the government is currently focusing on how it can "build resilience in UK interests and support partners."

Speaking to reporters, McDonald on Friday said he believed the British government had simulated various Taiwan Strait scenarios, but is unwilling to release the information. Like some other MPs, Macdonald said the government should make its findings and conclusions public.

(By Chen Yun-yu and Ko Lin)

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