Taiwanese Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim is making a rare visit to Europe to attend the Ventotene Conference for Freedom and Democracy on the Italian island of Ventotene, alongside Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung, Taiwan’s presidential office said.
The presidential office said Hsiao was invited to the forum but did not provide further details, saying more information would be released after the two officials return to Taiwan. Hsiao’s participation was kept secret until her arrival, according to Pina Picierno, vice president of the European Parliament, who said the secrecy was intended to protect it.
Why the visit is unusual
Taiwanese foreign ministers occasionally travel to Europe and other places that do not have formal ties with Taiwan. A visit by an official as senior as the vice president is less common because of the risk of backlash from Beijing against the host country.
Italy, like most countries, has no formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. China claims Taiwan as one of its provinces, while Taiwan’s democratically governed authorities reject that claim. Read the context: Nicaragua ends diplomatic relations with Italy amid dispute over 1978 murder case extradition.
European reaction and conference participants
Picierno said in a Facebook post that European countries should decide independently who can be hosted and which voices can be heard. She described the conference as a place to defend freedom and democracy without intimidation.
Oleksandra Matviichuk, a 2022 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and president of Ukraine’s Centre for Civil Liberties, is also expected to participate. Hsiao spoke at the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China’s annual summit in the European Parliament in Brussels last November.
What happens next
The Ventotene conference is scheduled to run from Thursday through Saturday this week. Taiwan’s presidential office said it will provide further details after Hsiao and Lin return to Taiwan.
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