Former Taiwan President Tsai and current Vice-President Hsiao visited Europe

Taiwan Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim delivered a speech at the conference organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, a global group of hundreds of lawmakers who want to strengthen coordination on China-related policy and lobby for unified international action on key China challenges.  The event was held at the European parliament in Brussels, Belgium on November 7, 2025.   About 50 lawmakers from about two dozen countries attended the event.   Hsiao’ surprising visit angered China.   Hsiao urged the EU to boost security and trade ties with Taiwan and support its democracy in the face of growing threats by China.   “Peace in the Taiwan Strait is essential to global stability and economic continuity, and international opposition against unilateral changes to the status quo by force cannot be overstated,” Hsiao told lawmakers.   “In an era marked by increasing fragmentation, volatility and rising authoritarianism, this gathering affirms something vital – that democracies, even when far apart, are not alone,” she added, to a standing ovation in a chamber of the parliament.

Former President Tsai Ing-wen visited Germany Nov. 8-15, where she delivered a keynote speech Nov. 10 at the first Berlin Freedom Conference, as the first Taiwanese ex-president to speak at the event.   The Berlin Freedom Conference, the main event of Berlin Freedom Week, is co-organized by the Berlin city government, the Axel Springer Freedom Foundation, and the World Liberty Congress.  The forum gathers global civil society leaders, human rights advocates, and experts, who make speeches and engage in panel discussions on how to defend and strengthen freedom and democracy amid the resurgence of authoritarianism.  She called on democratic countries to join forces to advance security and prosperity, and expressed gratitude to the European Union and G7 countries for voicing the importance of cross-strait peace.   Members of the Germany-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group hosted a reception for Tsai, where she met with approximately 40 cross-party Bundestag members including Group Chair Till Steffen and Michael Brand, parliamentary state secretary, at the Federal Ministry of Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth.