Submitted by ALDE Party

We, members of Liberal International, stand in solidarity with the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD), LI cooperating organisation, and condemn the imposition of sanctions by China on the organisation and its officials on 7 April 2023 for supposedly violating the ‘One China’ principle, following the visit of Medal of Liberalism laurate President Tsai Ing-Wen to the United States.  

We regret that this designation will have repercussions on the organisations’ valuable work in the region, where for almost three decades it has been a forum for discussion and promotion of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, which we regard as fundamental rights that should be enjoyed by all peoples of Asia, including in Taiwan and China. 

We applaud the organisation’s desire to not cower in face of authoritarianism or from those who threaten our freedoms, and call for these arbitrary sanctions to be lifted without delay.