IPAC The Hague 2026 Summit: Global Lawmakers Announce Unified Strategy on PRC Challenges, Demand Action on Foreign Interference
The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) concluded its Annual Summit with an announcement of a united slate of strategic priorities aimed at countering the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) global economic leverage and securing stability in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait.
Alongside these major policy commitments, IPAC lawmakers issued an urgent call to combat the CCP’s pervasive interference in other countries, announced the expansion of the network, the launch of a Threats Unit, and the recipient of the second annual Senator Kimberley Kitching Prize for Courage in Defence of Democracy.
The summit was officially opened by IPAC Netherlands Co-Chairs, Jan Paternotte MP and Tom van der Lee MP, who welcomed the international delegation, which included both former and current Prime Ministers, party leaders and ministers of government. Jan Paternotte MP and Tom van der Lee MP said:
“Over the next two days, we will discuss how to meet these challenges. And how we, as parliamentarians, can make a real difference in our own countries. Because this dominance, and the unfree world Beijing has in mind, is not a given. It is not inevitable. Parliamentarians who stand for freedom, including the freedom to choose your own policies, trading relationships and your own friends in the world, can push back. Together we are very hard to ignore.”
Cross-Strait peace and collective deterrence anchored the afternoon agenda of day one. Former defence ministers Ruben Brekelmans MP (Netherlands), Gen Nakatani (Japan), and Dovilė Šakalienė MP (Lithuania) addressed shared defence vulnerabilities and the realities of deterring PRC aggression.
Delegates also attended a formal reception dinner hosted by the Taiwanese Representative Office, underscoring the enduring solidarity between global democratic legislators and Taiwan. Delegates were honoured to hear from Ambassador James Chung-kwang Tien, and the honourable former Prime Minister of Japan, Yoshihiko Noda, who stated:
“Unfortunately, the level of crisis has only continued to rise [since then]. Japan has taken every opportunity to emphasise to other countries, including China, the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and to call for the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues. I hope that we will continue to share a common understanding of the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.”
Two Agreed Policy Outcomes
IPAC members agreed to collaborate on two primary strategic proposals. While members will continue their vital regional and country-specific work, these two initiatives represent global challenges that transcend individual national concerns and require unified, international cooperation to achieve:
- Securing Peace and Stability in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait: IPAC will launch an international campaign emphasising the global importance of this region to the security, rule of law, and economic stability of all nations.
- Improving Resilience to Chinese Economic Leverage: IPAC will champion a "whole of society" approach to economic resilience. This includes raising public awareness of the risks posed by China’s economic strategies, passing relevant parliamentary motions, and actively engaging with ministers and envoys to ensure resilience frames all diplomatic and economic engagement.
54 IPAC Lawmakers from 26 Countries Demand Action to Counter Foreign Interference
Safeguard Defenders launched their newest report, "A Formula for Repression - China’s Global Grid for Community Control" on day two of the Summit. Based exclusively on open-source evidence from the Chinese Party-state, the report details the objectives and methods behind the CCP’s efforts to control and surveil its diaspora across the globe. The findings demonstrate that the phenomenon of "overseas Chinese police stations" has not only continued but is rapidly expanding at the direct behest of Xi Jinping. At the core of this strategy is a global network of united front operatives, described as the Party’s "magic weapon" for influence and interference abroad.
In response to these findings, 54 IPAC lawmakers from 26 countries are demanding an end to the wilful blindness and overly tolerant acquiescence that has allowed this interference to persist. The coalition is officially calling for six urgent measures to combat CCP foreign interference and transnational repression.
IPAC To Launch Threats Unit
IPAC also announced the forthcoming launch of a Threats Unit, staffed by some of the world’s leading experts on the topic of PRC interference. The unit will exist to furnish lawmakers with verified, politically actionable material on PRC interference around the world.
The Second Annual Kimberley Kitching Prize for Courage in Defence of Democracy, Awarded to Fortune Daniel Molokele MP of Zimbabwe
IPAC also held the award ceremony for the second annual Senator Kimberley Kitching Prize for Courage in Defence of Democracy. The award was established to recognise individuals demonstrating exceptional integrity, conviction, and bravery in defending democratic values against authoritarian pressure from the CCP. Following last year’s inaugural recipient, Peter Kenilorea Jr MP of the Solomon Islands, IPAC is honoured to announce that this year’s award goes to Fortune Daniel Molokele MP.
Molokele has demonstrated outstanding leadership and courage in his home country of Zimbabwe, standing firm in the face of considerable efforts by the People’s Republic of China to coerce, exploit, and erode democratic freedoms. In his acceptance speech, Mr. Molokele said:
“These Chinese companies are practicing what is notoriously known as extractive coal mining. They do not care about investing in local community development. They do not care about labour rights. Neither do they care about protecting our local environment. Our local communities are currently getting a very raw deal from these Chinese companies. As a result, I have been forced to join my fellow parliamentarians in speaking out and fighting against the injustices or excesses of the Chinese companies. I have also joined IPAC as a global network for all parliamentarians who are determined to speak out against China, not just in Zimbabwe but across the world. Why? It is because injustice in Zimbabwe is injustice everywhere. As such, I am so proud and grateful to IPAC for its most powerful vision and mission that I fully support or endorse.”
IPAC Network Expansion
IPAC is proud to announce the further expansion of the network, with the addition of 4 new countries: Brazil, Honduras, Poland and Portugal; and 54 members. The Alliance now stands at 325 lawmakers across 45 parliaments.
IPAC also welcomed 10 former members entering government.
With the summit drawing to a close, IPAC’s global network of lawmakers departed united in its resolve, committed to working across borders to translate these strategic priorities into concrete action.
Photos by Octavian Carare.
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