Office of the President Republic of China(Taiwan)

In response to an invitation from the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), Vice President Bi-khim Hsiao, acting upon the designation of President Lai Ching-te, traveled to Europe and attended IPAC’s annual summit in Brussels, where she delivered a speech. Accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), the vice president concluded her journey and returned to Taiwan on the morning of November 9.

Upon arrival at Taoyuan International Airport, the vice president delivered remarks, stating that during the trip she delivered a speech titled “Taiwan: A Trusted Partner in a Volatile World,” which aimed to foster greater understanding and support for Taiwan in the international community and called on all countries to deepen economic, trade, and technological cooperation with Taiwan, support Taiwan’s international participation, and work together to safeguard peace in the Taiwan Strait and stability in the region.

In her remarks, the vice president pointed out that this trip was in response to IPAC’s invitation to attend the organization’s annual summit at the European Parliament in Brussels on November 7, and that Foreign Minister Lin accompanied her on the trip. Representing the nation during the topical session dedicated to Taiwan, the vice president shared Taiwan’s democratic story with a broad range of friends from European countries, members of national parliaments, civil society, and the media, aiming to foster greater understanding and support for Taiwan in the international community. 

Vice President Hsiao also pointed out that IPAC is a transnational parliamentary platform comprised of elected members of parliaments from countries around the world and members of the European Parliament who share the values of freedom and democracy with Taiwan. IPAC has long been a staunch partner of Taiwan, she said, supporting Taiwan’s international participation with concrete actions, emphasizing the importance of peace in the Taiwan Strait and stability in the region, and actively speaking out for Taiwan in the international community.

The vice president explained that the title of her speech at the summit was “Taiwan: A Trusted Partner in a Volatile World.” The speech, she said, emphasized that Taiwan is not only an important partner in global high-tech manufacturing and democratic supply chains, but also a responsible member of the international community, and that a free and resilient Taiwan has irreplaceable value for global peace, prosperity, and the future of democracy. She also called on partners from around the world to deepen economic, trade and technological cooperation with Taiwan, strengthen social resilience and security dialogues, and support Taiwan’s international participation, as we work together to maintain peace in the Taiwan Strait and stability in the region.

Regarding the event itself, Vice President Hsiao thanked the IPAC team for their sincere invitation, everyone whose assistance made the trip proceed smoothly, and members of the European Parliament from various countries, the media, and citizen representatives for their enthusiastic exchanges on the sidelines. She also thanked the team led by Foreign Minister Lin, Taiwan Representative to the EU and Belgium Ambassador Shieh Jhy-wey (謝志偉), Taiwan Representative to the UK Ambassador Vincent Chin-hsiang Yao (姚金祥), and colleagues from various overseas missions, as well as the National Security Council and other national security teams, for all the hard work in planning and arranging this visit, making it a complete success.

Sharing her impressions of the trip, the vice president said that Taiwan’s international situation has always been difficult, with much unfairness and setbacks, and that nothing has been easy. But Taiwan has never backed down, she continued, because we believe that the people of Taiwan, like all global citizens, should have the opportunity to participate in the international community. She emphasized that thanks to the efforts and persistence of all our citizens, Taiwan has gradually been able to make our own way in the face of never-ending difficulties and challenges. Revisiting a quote from Mencius (孟子) that she also mentioned in her speech, “Those who take the right way get a lot of help,” the vice president explained that the people of Taiwan are very kind-hearted, freedom-loving, and hard-working, and are very willing to contribute to the world; and since we are on the right path, we will gain more international recognition and help.

Vice President Hsiao said she felt honored to be able to share Taiwan’s importance and responsibility with IPAC members, who have long supported Taiwan, in such an important hall of the European Parliament. She also emphasized that it has always been our responsibility to convey the voice of the people of Taiwan to the world, and our mission is to get the world to see that Taiwan is a force for good, and support Taiwan. Taiwan is not alone, she said, because more and more like-minded friends around the world are willing to join us on the journey. She concluded by saying that Taiwan will continue, with confident, pragmatic, and firm steps, to show the world our resolve, goodwill, and the power of democracy.