Taiwanese Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim is visiting Europe to attend a democracy conference in Italy with Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung, according to Taiwan’s presidential office.
Hsiao was invited to the Ventotene Conference for Freedom and Democracy on the Italian island of Ventotene. The event runs from Thursday through Saturday. Taiwan’s presidential office said further details would be released after Hsiao and Lin return home.
Pina Picierno, a vice president of the European Parliament, said Hsiao’s participation had been kept secret until her arrival for security reasons. In a Facebook statement, Picierno said intimidation should not determine which speakers can take part in democratic debate in Europe.
Picierno also said freedom of debate should not be negotiated with autocratic governments and described Ventotene as a place where freedom and democracy should be defended without fear.
Visits to Europe by Taiwanese foreign ministers occur periodically, despite the absence of formal diplomatic relations with most European governments. Travel by an official as senior as Taiwan’s vice president is less common because of the possibility of a response from Beijing towards the host country.
Italy, like most countries, does not maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. China regards Taiwan as one of its provinces, while Taiwan’s democratically elected government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claim.
Oleksandra Matviichuk, president of Ukraine’s Centre for Civil Liberties and a recipient of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, is also expected to participate in the Ventotene conference.
Hsiao previously addressed the annual summit of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China at the European Parliament in Brussels in November. Her appearance in Italy is another uncommon European engagement by a senior member of Taiwan’s elected government.
The presidential office’s limited initial statement identified the conference and Hsiao’s travelling delegation but did not publish a wider itinerary. It said additional information would follow after the delegation returns to Taiwan.
The trip places Hsiao at the same event as European political figures and civil-society representatives while the Taiwanese delegation remains outside a framework of formal diplomatic relations with Italy.
Sources
Al Jazeera: Taiwan vice president visits Europe for democracy conference
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Story synopsis gathered from: Al Jazeera News — source
