Indo-Pacific — 2026-09-11

Taiwan Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim Makes Secret Visit to Italy for European Parliament Democracy Conference With Foreign Minister

BLUFTaipei is now willing to gamble a sitting vice president's presence in Europe on the bet that EU institutional actors will shield the visit from Chinese retaliation.

Taiwanese Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim traveled to Italy to attend the Ventotene Conference for Freedom and Democracy alongside Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung, the presidential office said in a statement, calling it a rare instance of an official at her level visiting Europe 123. European Parliament Vice President Pina Picierno said on Facebook that Hsiao's participation was kept secret until her arrival "to protect her participation" in the conference, which runs Thursday through Saturday on the island of Ventotene 12. The presidential office said further details would be released once Hsiao and Lin return to Taiwan, and neither China's nor Italy's foreign ministries had responded to requests for comment 23. Italy has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, and Beijing has previously sanctioned Hsiao as an "independence diehard" 23.

Analysis
Hsiao's presence in Ventotene marks the first time a sitting Taiwanese vice president has appeared at a European forum, raising the diplomatic bar Taipei is willing to test in EU-adjacent venues that maintain no formal ties with Taiwan. The secrecy surrounding her attendance until arrival signals that both Taipei and conference organizers anticipated Chinese pressure to block or disrupt the event, and structured the visit to foreclose that option. Picierno's public defense of the invitation indicates a faction within the European Parliament is now willing to absorb Beijing's diplomatic backlash rather than defer to it. Rome's silence on the visit leaves open whether the Italian government endorses or merely tolerates the precedent Ventotene has set.

4 sources

Taiwan vice president makes rare Europe visit for conference on democracy - Al Jazeera
Vice president Hsiao in Italy to attend democracy forum - Taipei Times
Taiwan's vice president on rare Europe visit for Italy democracy forum - Yahoo News Canada
Taiwan's No. 2 Makes Rare Europe Trip, Defying China's Isolation - Bloomberg