Hsiao Bi-khim, Representative of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to the United States
***Venue and Menu Change: This month's dinner meeting will be held at The Greencroft Club, 575 Rodes Dr, Charlottesville, VA 22903***
As The Economist reported last fall, the US’s position on Taiwan is ambiguous: “Leaders in Beijing say there is only one China, which they run, and that Taiwan is a rebellious part of it. America nods to the one China idea, but has spent 70 years ensuring there are two.” China’s continuing efforts to isolate Taiwan make this even more difficult.
In this context, Taiwanese leadership argue for their country’s importance to America. President Tsai Ing-Wen wrote in Foreign Affairs, “As countries increasingly recognize the threat that the Chinese Communist Party poses, they should understand the value of working with Taiwan. And they should remember that if Taiwan were to fall, the consequences would be catastrophic for regional peace and the democratic alliance system. It would signal that in today’s global contest of values, authoritarianism has the upper hand over democracy.”
In February, we will have the opportunity to hear their most senior diplomat in the US make this case.
Representative Bi-khim Hsiao was named as Taiwan’s Representative in July 2020, after serving as a Senior Adviser to the President at the National Security Council of Taiwan. Representative Hsiao previously served four terms in the Taiwan Legislature, For many years she was ranking member of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and previously the chair of the USA Caucus in the Legislative Yuan. She began her political career serving as Director of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) International Affairs Department, later serving an Adviser in the Office of the President and international spokesperson for all DPP presidential elections.Representative Hsiao was the Chair of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD) and is also a founding Board Member of the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy.Born in Kobe, Japan, Representative Hsiao grew up in Tainan, a city in southern Taiwan. She has an MA in Political Science from Columbia University in New York and BA in East Asian Studies from Oberlin College, Ohio.