Taiwan VP Hsiao Bi-khim makes historic address at 2025 IPAC summit

Brussels/Taipei, Nov. 8 (CNA) 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 2025 summit of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) in Brussels.

● Full text of Vice President Hsiao's speech at 2025 IPAC summit

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 an X post (formerly Twitter) written in Traditional and Simplified Chinese, Japanese, and Spanish. The post included three photos showing Hsiao speaking to IPAC members, accompanied by Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍).

In her address, 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.

"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 further drew attention to the need for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, saying, "Peace in the Taiwan Strait is essential to global stability and economic continuity," and warned that China's attempts to alter the status quo run counter to 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 (DPP) Legislator Fan Yun (范雲), one of Taiwan's two IPAC co-chairs 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 2025 IPAC global assembly in the Belgian capital marked the first time Taiwan participated as an official member. Taiwan gained membership during the alliance's 2024 summit in Taipei, with Fan and Taiwan People's Party (TPP) lawmaker Chen Gau-tzu (陳昭姿) serving as its co-chairs.

IPAC was the first to publicly condemn China for plotting a collision with Hsiao's car during her visit to Prague in March 2024, Fan said.

She told CNA that such acts of intimidation by China have also targeted citizens of Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom, prompting those countries to introduce new policies and laws to counter them.

She pointed out that Paraguayan lawmakers, representing Taiwan's diplomatic ally, reaffirmed their friendship with Taiwan, saying they had "chosen what is right rather than what is easy."

Several parliamentarians from countries without formal diplomatic ties to Taiwan expressed a strong desire to deepen economic cooperation but faced pressure from Chinese embassies under the "one-China principle," Fan said, adding that some lawmakers who had planned to attend the summit were ultimately unable to do so, due to such political pressure.

"I believe these are precisely the challenges that IPAC is working hard to overcome, and it has already made a significant impact," she said.