Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) made history on Friday as the first Taiwanese vice president to deliver a speech in a European parliament while in office, addressing the annual summit of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) in Brussels.
Her presence and remarks at the European Parliament were highlighted by IPAC, a global alliance of lawmakers from various countries and political parties seeking to reform their governments’ China policies, in a social media post written in traditional and simplified Chinese, Japanese and Spanish. The post included three photos showing Hsiao speaking to IPAC members, accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍).
Hsiao underscored the importance of democratic solidarity amid rising authoritarian pressure, calling for democracies to stand together in defending shared values of openness, transparency and the rule of law.
Photo courtesy of the IPAC
“Democracies, even when far apart, are not alone. We are not alone in our values, not alone in our challenges, and, most importantly, we are not alone in our responsibility to act,” she said.
Hsiao highlighted Taiwan’s efforts to build what she called “whole-of-society resilience” — strengthening defenses through civic preparedness, cybersecurity and trusted economic partnerships — while asserting that Taiwan’s role as a thriving democracy and key player in global supply chains makes it indispensable to international stability and prosperity.
She said “peace in the Taiwan Strait is essential to global stability and economic continuity,” and warned that China’s attempts to alter the “status quo” violates the international consensus.
“Taiwan matters — not because we are a victim of coercion, but because the integrity of the international system and global prosperity depend on a strong and free Taiwan,” she said.
“We don’t just want to survive, we want democracies to thrive. We are not just defending what we have, but building what we want the future to look like, where free people and societies are more connected, more united and more capable,” Hsiao said.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Fan Yun (范雲), one of Taiwan’s IPAC cochairs, who was also present, wrote in a Facebook post that Hsiao had spoken to lawmakers from more than 50 countries to explain “why Taiwan matters.”
“Everyone gave a non-stop standing ovation after the speech and asked to take pictures with her. The special guest took the venue by storm,” Fan wrote.
The IPAC assembly marked the first time Taiwan participated as an official member. Taiwan gained membership last year during the alliance’s summit in Taipei, with Fan and Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Chen Gau-tzu (陳昭姿) serving as its cochairs.
Taiwan’s only formal diplomatic ties in Europe are with the Vatican, but countries from the UK and France to Lithuania and Poland have disregarded Beijing’s complaints to allow visits by acting or former senior Taiwan officials.
While Taiwanese foreign ministers sometimes visit Europe and other parts of the world without formal ties to Taipei, it is rare for a sitting vice president to do so, as some countries are wary of backlash from China.
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday departed for a visit to Berlin and is slated to address the Berlin Freedom Conference tomorrow.
In September, Lin traveled to Europe twice, visiting Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland and Italy.
Lin earlier this week said that he went to Europe to strengthen relations, and his ministry had set up a Europe task force.
China’s mission to the EU in a news release yesterday said that Hsiao’s visit “gravely violates the one-China principle, constitutes serious interference in China’s internal affairs, and severely undermines political mutual trust between China and the EU.”
Additional reporting by Reuters
RESILIENCE: Taiwan plays a key role in semiconductors, energy, information infrastructure and advanced manufacturing, AIT Director Raymond Greene said Taiwan’s continued investment in deterrence and resilience remains vital, especially in uncrewed systems and other emerging technologies, American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Raymond Greene said yesterday. Greene made the remarks at the annual National Strategic Summit on Supply Chain Resilience held by the Research Institute for Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology (DSET), a government-backed think tank. As Taiwan last year became the US’ fourth-largest trading partner and supply chain security is becoming more important, cooperation in emerging technologies continues to deepen between the two countries, he said. The US is committed to accelerating innovation, building key infrastructure, strengthening cooperation
The National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology yesterday showcased its locally developed variants of the Vision 60 robotic patrol dog, which it plans to deploy on the nation’s outlying territories in the South China Sea. The variants were produced under the Joint Lab project — created by the institute and domestic companies — and assembled with domestically produced motors, lenses and artificial intelligence (AI) systems alongside licensed tech from the US, Missile and Rocket Systems Research Division deputy director Jen Kuo-kang (任國光) told the media event at a military base in Taipei’s Dazhi (大直) area. Taiwan has built up its strengths
RIGHT DIRECTION: Taiwan’s efforts to prevent forced labor include a proposal to ‘fully prohibit’ employers from withholding workers’ documents, an official said Taiwan is to establish a mechanism to restrict imports of goods linked to forced labor, the Executive Yuan said yesterday, after the US proposed imposing additional tariffs on Taiwanese goods over labor concerns. “The Ministry of Labor and the Ministry of Economic Affairs are to establish an interministerial review procedure,” Executive Yuan spokesperson Michelle Lee (李慧芝) said at a news briefing in Taipei. “The government is to use the Foreign Trade Act [貿易法] as the legal basis to restrict imports of goods produced with forced labor” and bring its supply chain governance more in line with international standards on human rights, resilience
NOT IMMEDIATE: Taiwan has a chance to appeal the proposed 10 percent tariff before it starts, while other countries face a 12.5 percent tariff from the trade office Taiwan is among 60 economies determined by the US to have failed to impose or enforce a ban on the importation of goods produced with forced labor, according to a notice released on Tuesday by the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR), which proposed imposing an additional 10 percent or more tariff on them. The USTR in a statement said that following an investigation, it had determined under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 that the failure of the 60 economies to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labor is
RSS