--- description: The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China is comprised of 18 politicians from nine regions, including U.S. Senators title: Lawmakers Form Global Coalition to Tackle China 'Challenge' image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0f32094f333c29e3/698a0ef822fb857260e2b17b/marco-rubio-ipac.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [China](/tag/china/) ## China Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Lawmakers Form Global Coalition to Tackle the China 'Challenge' ## Video: President Trump: U.S. Will End Hong Kong Special Privileges [Watch (HLS stream): President Trump: U.S. Will End Hong Kong Special Privileges](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/AnXDpX8P.m3u8) (2:20)  _Published 2020-05-29. President Donald Trump announced the U.S. will sanction Chinese officials responsible for eroding the autonomy of Hong Kong and begin the process of ending Hong Kong special trade benefits because of Beijing's moves to assert control over city._ by [Amy Gunia](/author/amy-gunia/) ## Amy Gunia Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Gunia was a reporter for TIME based in Hong Kong. Jun 5, 2020 7:27 AM CUT  U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) questions Kelly Craft, President Trump's nominee to be Representative to the United Nations, during her nomination hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Washington, D.C on June 19, 2019. U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) questions Kelly Craft, President Trump's nominee to be Representative to the United Nations, during her nomination hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Washington, D.C on June 19, 2019.Stefani Reynolds—Getty Images by [Amy Gunia](/author/amy-gunia/) ## Amy Gunia Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Gunia was a reporter for TIME based in Hong Kong. Jun 5, 2020 7:27 AM CUT Lawmakers from several countries announced on Friday the formation of a new coalition formed to counter the “challenge” presented by China’s ascendancy on the world stage. The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) is comprised of 18 politicians, including U.S. Senators Marco Rubio and Robert Menendez. Other members represent Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, Norway, Sweden, the U.K. and the European Parliament. The group’s stated mission is to increase collaboration between “like-minded legislators” to craft a “strategic approach” on issues related to China, according to [its website](https://www.ipac.global/ "undefined"). “China, under the rule of the Chinese Communist Party, represents a global challenge,” says Rubio, in a video posted on Twitter announcing the launch of the group. “We the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China stand together to coordinate the response to this great challenge.” > [](https://twitter.com/ipacglobal/status/1268678597868388358) The organization describes its [goals](https://www.ipac.global/ "undefined") as safeguarding the international rules-based order, upholding human rights, promoting fair trade, strengthening security and promoting national integrity. “We thought China would open up over time. This hasn’t happened,” Elisabet Lann, one of the group’s members and the deputy mayor for the Christian democrats in Gothenburg, Sweden, says in the video. The new coalition comes at a time of worsening relations between the U.S. and China, a standoff that has been exacerbated by finger-pointing over the coronavirus pandemic. Washington has also taken a tough stance on Beijing’s actions in the semiautonomous territory Hong Kong. At the end of May, Beijing’s announced it would implement [national security laws](https://time.com/5841283/hong-kong-national-security-law-china/ "undefined") in Hong Kong, a move aimed at clamping down on anti-government unrest in the enclave. The decision prompted Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to decertify Hong Kong’s [autonomy](https://time.com/5842158/hong-kong-autonomy-trade-business-china-us/ "undefined"), putting at risk the territory’s special economic and trade relationship with the U.S. Meanwhile, China has been asserting itself internationally. In May, Chinese troops crossed the contested [border with India](https://time.com/5843279/india-china-border/ "undefined"). The Chinese navy has also stepped up patrols in the South China Sea. Last month, Washington released [a major China policy document](https://time.com/5847971/hong-kong-us-china-struggle/ "undefined") that argues 40 years of U.S. engagement with China has failed to produce the “citizen-centric, free and open rules-based order” the U.S. had hoped it would. The document announced that the U.S. would take a “competitive approach” to China “based on a clear-eyed assessment of the CCP’s intentions and actions.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5848808/inter-parliamentary-alliance-china/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5848808/inter-parliamentary-alliance-china/"},"headline":"Lawmakers Form Global Coalition to Tackle the China 'Challenge'","datePublished":"2020-06-05T07:27:01.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-24T08:50:57.071Z","description":"\"China, under the rule of the Chinese Communist Party, represents a global challenge,\" says Senator Marco Rubio","url":"https://time.com/5848808/inter-parliamentary-alliance-china/","keywords":["China","Brief","overnight","News Desk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0f32094f333c29e3/698a0ef822fb857260e2b17b/marco-rubio-ipac.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Amy Gunia","jobTitle":"Gunia was a reporter for TIME based in Hong Kong.","url":"https://time.com/author/amy-gunia/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0f32094f333c29e3/698a0ef822fb857260e2b17b/marco-rubio-ipac.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"marco-rubio-ipac","caption":"Marco Rubio IPAC","creditText":"Stefani Reynolds—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/china/","name":"China"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5848808/inter-parliamentary-alliance-china/","name":"Lawmakers Form Global Coalition to Tackle the China 'Challenge'"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"President Trump: U.S. Will End Hong Kong Special Privileges","description":"President Donald Trump announced the U.S. will sanction Chinese officials responsible for eroding the autonomy of Hong Kong and begin the process of ending Hong Kong special trade benefits because of Beijing's moves to assert control over city.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/AnXDpX8P/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2020-05-29T20:42:30.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/AnXDpX8P.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5848808/inter-parliamentary-alliance-china/","duration":"PT2M20S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5848808/inter-parliamentary-alliance-china/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```