VP Hsiao sees growing international interest in Taiwan during Italy trip

Taipei, Sept. 14 (CNA) Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) said Monday that her recent visit to the Italian island of Ventotene was rewarding because she saw a growing number of international friends willing to learn about Taiwan and hear its story.

"Throughout this journey, I have once again felt the international community's concern for Taiwan and encountered a growing number of good friends willing to learn about Taiwan and hear its story," Hsiao said at Taoyuan International Airport on Monday morning upon returning from Italy.

"For me, the most significant part of the trip lies not only in attending a forum at a specific location, but also in having Taiwan's voice heard by so many more people in a place of such historical significance," Hsiao said, referring to the Second Ventotene European Conference for Freedom and Democracy, which she attended last week.

Hsiao noted that Ventotene has an extraordinary history. During World War II, the island was used to detain political dissidents, including Altiero Spinelli, who co-authored a text there that later became known as the "Ventotene Manifesto," advocating a federal Europe after the war.

Hsiao cited remarks from her Friday address at the Italian conference, saying, "Whether it is Ventotene or Taiwan, no island is too small to have a voice, and no island or society is too small to deserve respect."

Although Europe today is vastly different from the Europe of World War II, democracies around the world continue to face similar challenges, the vice president said.

"Authoritarianism, 'gray-zone' threats, and challenges involving coercion and attempts to alter the status quo continue to arise in various forms and locations -- challenges with which Taiwan is all too familiar," she said.

That is why she pledged at the conference that both Europe and Taiwan would remain steadfast in upholding a free and democratic way of life and committed to maintaining regional peace and prosperity, she added.

Hsiao also said the trip was not announced in advance to avoid "unnecessary interference," referring to China's objections.

According to a Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) press release issued Monday, Hsiao was invited by European Parliament Vice President Pina Picierno, the main initiator of the conference, and Carlo Corazza, head of the European Parliament Liaison Office in Italy, to speak at the Second Ventotene European Conference for Freedom and Democracy.

Aside from meeting Picierno and Corazza, Hsiao and Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) also met with Sandro Gozi, chair of the European Parliament's Delegation to the EU-UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly; European Parliament member Valérie Hayer; and Mayor of Ventotene Carmine Caputo while on the Italian island.

Before heading back to Taiwan, Hsiao and Lin also toured the renowned Roman Cisterns and the Museo Storico Archeologico, which houses archaeological discoveries from the island, MOFA said in its press release.