Foreign Minister Lin accompanies Vice President Hsiao on trip to address IPAC annual summit at European Parliament in Brussels

Foreign Minister Lin accompanies Vice President Hsiao on trip to address IPAC annual summit at European Parliament in Brussels

• Date：2025-11-09
• Data Source：Department of European Affairs

November 9, 2025
No. 458

Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim attended the annual summit of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) in Brussels on November 7. She made the trip at the request of President Lai Ching-te and was accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung. In the afternoon, at a session on the issue of Taiwan during the event at the European Parliament, Vice President Hsiao delivered remarks entitled "Taiwan: a trusted partner in a volatile world."

Addressing more than 50 members of the European Parliament and members of national parliaments from Europe, the United States, the Indo-Pacific, Africa, and Latin America, Vice President Hsiao called for cooperation among the world's democracies and said that as a trusted partner, Taiwan was willing to deepen collaboration with other nations. The speech drew a standing ovation from the audience of more than 150 people, which also included representatives of civil society and the media. It was the first time that a vice president of Taiwan had addressed the European Parliament.

On arriving at the European Parliament, Vice President Hsiao and Minister Lin were welcomed by Quaestor Miriam Lexmann and Bernard Guetta, a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, acting in their capacity as IPAC cochairs for the European Parliament. IPAC Executive Director Luke de Pulford, who was also present, thanked Vice President Hsiao for accepting the invitation.

In her speech, Vice President Hsiao said that the IPAC annual summit had brought together many good friends who believed deeply in democratic ideals. She added that this showed that democracies, even when far apart, were not alone.

Emphasizing that Taiwan was a leading democracy, Vice President Hsiao said that it played a key role in the world's advanced manufacturing and democratic supply chains. She pointed out that as a responsible international partner, Taiwan was an indispensable force in safeguarding global peace, prosperity, and the future of democracy.(E)

Thanking IPAC for its staunch, long-standing support for Taiwan, Vice President Hsiao said that she looked forward to deepening ties with IPAC partners and working together for a more democratic, peaceful, stable and secure world through such avenues as trade and tech cooperation, the strengthening of whole-of-society resilience and security exchanges, and the continued promotion of Taiwan's international participation.

During remarks to introduce Vice President Hsiao, Quaestor Lexmann affirmed Taiwan's thriving democratic development. She said that she had been honored to meet with President Lai and Vice President Hsiao while attending last year's IPAC annual summit in Taipei and expressed delight at Vice President Hsiao being invited to address this year's event. After her speech, Vice President Hsiao interacted with IPAC members and other friends. Els Van Hoof, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Belgian Chamber of Deputies and a cochair of IPAC Belgium, also greeted Vice President Hsiao and her delegation at the airport upon their arrival in Belgium.

IPAC, an interparliamentary organization founded in June 2020, is composed of members of the European Parliament and national parliaments from around the world. It currently comprises 290 cross-party members from 43 national parliaments and the European Parliament. The organization is primarily focused on addressing the challenges posed by China to democratic nations and legislation to combat China's political and economic infiltration and coercion. IPAC is a strong supporter of cross-strait peace and stability and has urged countries to oppose China's distortion of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs sincerely appreciates IPAC's staunch support for Taiwan.