His presence was kept hidden until the last moment. Then, when Hsiao Bi-khim, vice president of Taiwan, managed to arrive on the island of Ventotene, Pina Picierno was able to announce it publicly. A visit that was anything but ordinary, which immediately provoked China’s reaction and transformed the second European Conference in Ventotene for freedom and democracy into a small international diplomatic case.
Hsiao, number two in the administration of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, arrived in Italy together with Taipei Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung to participate in the event conceived and promoted by the vice-president of the European Parliament Pina Picierno. The conference is held from 10 to 12 September and brings together dissidents, activists, politicians and personalities from different countries on the Pontine island. Announced guests also include Yulia Navalnaya, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and Nobel Peace Prize winner Oleksandra Matviichuk.
The arrival of the Taiwanese vice president, however, did not appear in the previously released program. And not by chance. “No one, not even China, can decide who can or cannot speak here,” Picierno said when announcing Hsiao’s presence. The vice president of the European Parliament explained that the Taiwanese leader’s participation had been kept secret precisely to prevent pressure from Beijing from preventing her from reaching Ventotene.
Who is Hsiao Bi-khim
Hsiao’s presence in Ventotene is particularly significant also for his political profile. Vice President since May 2024 alongside President Lai Ching-te, Hsiao was previously Taiwan’s representative to the United States and is one of the best-known figures in Taiwanese diplomacy. Beijing included her in its list of representatives considered supporters of the island’s independence and subjected her to sanctions.
For a Taiwanese executive of this level, traveling to Europe remains rare. In November 2025, Hsiao had already delivered a speech in Brussels at the summit of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China hosted in the European Parliament. The one in Ventotene is his second European trip as vice president. And it comes at a stage in which Taiwan is seeking to increasingly strengthen relations with Europe, while at the same time tensions between Brussels and Beijing increase over trade, security and China’s relations with Russia.
The Taiwanese government confirmed that Hsiao had been invited by the organizers of the Ventotene Conference. This is a particularly delicate visit because Taiwan and Italy do not have official diplomatic relations and because Beijing considers the island an integral part of the People’s Republic of China. China has for years tried to limit international meetings of Taiwan’s top political representatives and regularly reacts with diplomatic protests when Taipei presidents, vice presidents or ministers are received abroad. This time the answer came immediately. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said it had presented “solemn representations” to Italy and the European Union over the visit. Spokeswoman Mao Ning accused Taiwan Democratic Progressive Party authorities and some European politicians of deliberately seeking international visibility, calling this behavior “despicable” and doomed to failure.
No meeting with Meloni or Tajani
However, the Italian government, at least officially, keeps its distance. According to reports at Reuters from sources familiar with the visit, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani will not meet the Taiwanese delegation and no meetings are planned even at Palazzo Chigi given that Hsiao is in Italy to participate in an event promoted by the vice-president of the European Parliament, not for an official visit organized by the Italian government.
Rome, like almost all European Union countries, does not diplomatically recognize Taiwan as an independent state. Italy and Taiwan, however, maintain representative offices in their respective capitals and significant economic and commercial relations. There are also direct air connections between the two countries. The European Union also maintains its “One China policy”, recognizing the government of the People’s Republic of China, but at the same time considers Taiwan a democratic partner and maintains non-diplomatic economic and political relations with Taipei. Brussels has repeatedly clarified that this policy does not prevent strengthening cooperation with Taiwan.
Why Taiwan is so important to Europe
Behind the diplomatic clash there is a much bigger issue. Beijing considers Taiwan its own province and does not rule out the use of force to achieve reunification. The democratically elected government of Taipei, however, rejects Chinese claims and maintains that only Taiwanese citizens can decide the future of the island.
For Europe, the stability of the Taiwan Strait has become a strategic issue, both for geopolitical and economic reasons. The island occupies a central position in global semiconductor chains and the Strait is one of the most important trade routes on the planet.