On the third day of their visit to Japan, Taiwan’s legislative delegation led by Vice President Dr. Johnny C. Chiang of the Legislative Yuan attended the 52nd General Assembly of the Asian-Pacific Parliamentarians' Union (APPU) at 9:30 am on March 12, 2024. The meeting was attended by representatives from 11 nations, including the Republic of Palau, Thailand, the Republic of Kiribati, the Republic of Marshall Islands, the Republic of Nauru, the Philippines, Guam, Papua New Guinea, and Malaysia, in addition to Taiwan and the host country Japan. The meeting commenced with an opening declaration by the Chairperson of the 51st General Assembly, followed by a unanimous agreement with a round of applause to elect Japanese Representative Shunichi Yamaguchi as the Chairperson this year. Chair Yamaguchi started by announcing that Taiwan would host the APPU 2025, with Papua New Guinea hosting in 2026.

Chair Yamaguchi continued to welcome representatives from the attending countries, followed by a video of the speech by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and a group photo of delegations from all member states. The meeting continued with Vice-President Chiang from Taiwan’s legislative delegation introducing all 14 members of the group, with each making a short remark, before the meeting moved on to the discussion of the agreement drafts proposed by all participating countries.

During the meeting, Vice-President Chiang, along with Legislators Wang Ting-yu, Hung Sun-han, and Ko Chih-en, spoke in favor of the APPU support regarding our third agreement draft proposed- “Calling APPU member states to support Taiwan’s participation in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).” Legislator Wang stated that the impact of climate change is borderless and that climate issues are apolitical, expressing hope that Taiwan shall not be excluded from the international community. Legislator Hung stressed that Taiwan’s high-tech monitoring technology has assisted many Pacific countries in climate adjustment, and the results have been significant. Legislator Ko added that it is urgent to overcome climate change, and every country should assist and support each other. Taiwan has the willingness and ability to make tangible contributions to the international community when it comes to climate change, and Ko called on all APPU member countries to support Taiwan’s participation in the UNFCCC.

During the meeting, nine agreement drafts were discussed. Except for the first draft proposed by the Northern Mariana Islands, which was withdrawn, the remaining eight drafts were unanimously passed by the attending nations with a round of applause after discussion among the representatives present. Taiwan’s three drafts, including the one urging support for our participation in the UNFCCC, were successfully passed. The first session of APPU’s 52nd General Assembly concluded in the morning. After the meeting, Vice-President Chiang and the delegation members met with the delegations from Japan and other attending countries to express gratitude for their support, followed by freewheeling discussions in warmth and joy.