TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Former UK Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith on Tuesday called on democracies worldwide to stand with Taiwan against China at the inaugural United for Taiwan: A Night to Defend Democracy gala in Taipei.

Hosted by the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, Smith contrasted Taiwan’s vibrant democracy with “authoritarian” China. In an IPAC video of the event on Instagram, he criticized Western governments for appeasing Beijing due to trade interests.

“China has one objective: to take back Taiwan. We should have one objective: to stop them doing it whenever,” Smith said. “When Beijing threatens Taiwan, it threatens far more than just Taiwan, it threatens the rights of free peoples to choose their own destiny.”

Smith, still a sitting member of parliament, co-founded IPAC and has repeatedly warned about China’s ambitions. He previously described Taiwan as a “beacon of freedom.”

Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) joined international lawmakers at the gala and thanked IPAC for its support. She said the event “sends a powerful message of solidarity among democracies and freedom-loving people around the world.”

Smith, Conservative Party leader from 2001 to 2003, has often argued that if Ukraine is lost, Taiwan will be next.