Picture source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, R.O.C. (Taiwan)
What is happening?
Taiwan’s Vice President-elect Bi-Khim Hsiao (蕭美琴) completed a four-stop visit to Europe, meeting with legislators, government officials, civil society leaders, and academics in Prague, Brussels, Warsaw, and Vilnius. The visit marks the first time an incoming vice president of Taiwan had been invited to Europe before taking office, signaling the importance of expanding informal albeit substantial relations between Taiwan and European countries for both sides. Local think tanks facilitated the stops in Central Eastern Europe, whereas, in Brussels, Hsiao visited the European Parliament at the invitation of a cross-party group of MEPs. China lambasted the Vice President-elect (whom Beijing sanctioned in 2023) and her European interlocutors, calling the visit an “egregious move.”
What is the broader picture?
In Taiwan’s January 2024 presidential elections, the incumbent Vice President William Lai (賴清德) and his running mate Bi-khim Hsiao of the Democratic Progressive Party won the race having garnered more than 40 per cent votes. With the presidential inauguration scheduled for May 20, Hsiao embarked on trips to the United States and Europe to lay the foundation for exchanges between the Lai administration and politicians from Taiwan’s like-minded partner countries.
Importantly, Hsiao’s visit to Europe had a more public profile than her engagements in Washington, DC. In three Central Eastern European capitals, she delivered speeches on the nexus of democracy and security, hosted by the Czech think tank Sinopsis, the Polish Casimir Pulaski Foundation, and the Lithuanian Vilnius University Institute of International Relations and Political Science. As parliamentary diplomacy is a key tool for Taiwan to circumvent its international isolation, Hsiao also met with Czech Senate president Miloš Vystrčil and Lithuanian Seimas speaker Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, while in Brussels, European Parliament First Vice-President Othmar Karas received her on behalf of President Roberta Metsola. She also met with some cabinet-level politicians, including Czech finance minister Zbyněk Stanjura. The three countries Hsiao visited in Central Eastern Europe constitute of the “vanguards” of the Dumpling Alliance, characterized by a highly increased activity level in both political and economic relations with Taiwan over the past three to five years.
China responded to the visit with harsh criticism. The Chinese Embassy in Prague called on the Czech government to “immediately stop the egregious moves that undermine the national credibility of the Czech Republic and its relations with China.” While the Mission of the PRC to the EU, the Chinese Embassy in Warsaw, and the Office of the Chinese Chargé d’Affaires in Lithuania did not issue any statements related to Hsiao’s visit, Chinese state-affiliated media published reports related to the Taiwanese VP-elect’s trip. Subordinate to the propaganda department of the CCP committee of the city of Shenzhen, Straight News (直新聞) published an article seeking to discredit Miloš Vystrčil, one of the “perennially corrupt politicians who cheer on the DPP authorities.” The outlet rehashed previous disinformation narratives about his alleged graft, claiming he received USD 4 mln before his 2020 Taiwan visit from the Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This claim was debunked as a Chinese effort at character assassination almost four years ago. A Swiss-based entity with ties to China, notably the United Front Work Department’s propaganda arm, also sought to influence Czech outlets to run this story to discredit Vystrčil.
Why does it matter?
Diversification of Taiwan’s international relations has been a critical tenet of Taipei’s foreign policy under President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文). The Tsai administration dedicated considerable resources to implementing the New Southbound Policy, its flagship foreign policy instrument, and, more recently, expanding ties between Taiwan and Europe. Taiwan experts commented that Lai’s electoral victory will translate into continuity in the country’s foreign policy posture. Hsiao’s visit confirms this trajectory. The visit sends a pivotal signal to Europe, and Central Eastern European countries in particular, that the new administration will continue to regard them as critical partners in normative and pragmatic terms.
Tsai’s visit to Europe also showcases the importance of multi-track diplomacy in engaging Taiwan. Due to its complicated (or, more aptly, “absurd”) international status, Taiwan’s officials often cannot engage directly with their overseas counterparts. The people-centric legislative diplomacy enables a “more obscure strategy” of semi-official engagements, which allows the country to avoid immediately triggering CCP’s backlash and resistance. Additionally, think tanks can be crucial in facilitating Taiwan’s external engagements. Track 1.5 dialogues allow government officials to participate in dialogue with Taiwanese stakeholders in a personal capacity, effectively facilitating “back channel” diplomacy.
