Beijing’s coercion raises serious concerns about the extent of China’s interference in the political autonomy of sovereign democratic states,” says IPAC.
China is putting pressure on two African countries to leave the inter-parliamentary alliance on China (IPAC), a group of hundreds of lawmakers focused on tackling the malignant activities of the Communist government, the organization said.
IPAC said Beijing will use “extreme diplomatic enforcement” to force Malawi and Gambian lawmakers to stop group membership. Beijing’s forced labor included the threat of a Malawian president traveling to China for a regional summit and canceling his trip to China due to a meeting with Xi Jinping, the leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
The IPAC said that the withdrawal of two African countries from the organization “scopes serious concerns about the extent of China’s interference in the political autonomy of sovereign democratic states.”
“The fact that the Republic of China (China) thinks it is appropriate to reduce the weight of its diplomatic equipment to non-governmental agencies and target members of African countries that enjoy important economic leverage reflects a stance of bullying and domination that we should not hesitate to blame.”
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IPAC noted that African lawmakers are “increasingly concerned about Beijing’s activities on the continent.”
Retreat
Malawi and Gambia joined IPAC last July along with Colombia, Iraq, the Solomon Islands and Uruguay. At the time, IPAC appointed two Gambian MPs, Abdow Sheesai and Amadou Kamala, and two Malawian MPs, Ackson Kareil Banda and Ephraim Kayenbe, as new members of the organization.
In January, Ceesay sent an audio recording to IPAC, informing the alliance that the Chinese administration had complained to the Gambian Foreign Ministry about his membership.
“We have some very shocking news…it’s a problem right now,” Ceesay said on the recording. “The president is not happy with us at all.”
Later in the same month, Ceesay and Camara informed IPAC that they were withdrawing. Ceesay told the alliance in a statement that said his decision was “not affected by the Chinese embassy.”
Gambia’s Information Minister Ismaila Seyesa, who has nothing to do with Abdouli Sheyesa, said he was unaware of his efforts to shake up politicians in his country.
“They decided on their behalf to the bilateral (relationship) between the government and China, then they decided to opt out of IPAC,” the Information Minister said.
In a letter to IPAC dated August 7th last year, Kayembe said he had been tricked into joining the group.
“I want to spread my sincere apologies to the People’s Republic of China,” Cayenbe wrote in a letter.
When contacted by the Associated Press via email, Kayembe denied that his withdrawal from IPAC was due to forced enforcement by the Malawi government or the Chinese government. Instead, he said his decision was his perception that IPAC was “to achieve its geopolitical intentions towards China.”
Two IPAC Cochairs spoke to the CCP.
“It requires us to unite, oppose and not continue to force African countries, governments and lawmakers to win positions by China,” Molokele added.
US Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-ore.), who is on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is another IPAC co-chair in the United States.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
