Taiwan Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim arrived on Ventotene, a small island off southern Italy, on September 10 to attend the second Ventotene European Forum for Democracy and Freedom — with the Presidential Office confirming that Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung accompanied her on the trip.
Organizers kept the visit secret until Hsiao had safely landed, citing concerns that advance disclosure could invite interference from Beijing. European Parliament Vice President Pina Picierno, who founded the forum, announced Hsiao's arrival through social media just after midnight Taipei time on September 11.
Picierno Pushes Back Against Beijing's Reach Into European Soil
"No one can decide who can be received on European soil, whose voices can be heard, and whose presence must be hidden," Picierno wrote in her announcement, making a pointed reference to Chinese government pressure.
Picierno, an Italian member of the European Parliament and a member of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), said Hsiao's presence on the island sent "a simple and very clear message: intimidation cannot decide who participates in our democratic discussions." She added that Ventotene "should continue, now more than ever, to be a place where freedom and democracy are defended without fear."
The Presidential Office spokesperson Kuo Ya-hui and Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Hsiao Kuang-wei both confirmed to Storm Media on September 11 that Hsiao Bi-khim had accepted an invitation to attend the forum, with details to be shared after her return to Taiwan.
A Deepening Pattern of High-Level Taiwan-Europe Engagement
The Ventotene trip is the latest in a series of high-profile European engagements by senior Taiwanese officials. In November 2025, Hsiao Bi-khim attended IPAC's annual meeting at the European Parliament in Brussels — the highest-level visit by a sitting Taiwanese official to that venue on record. Both Lin Chia-lung and former President Tsai Ing-wen had separately visited the European Parliament in October and November 2024, ahead of that Brussels trip.
A similar groundwork preceded the Italy trip. In late June, Lin led a trade delegation to Milan — Italy's industrial heartland — while Tsai traveled to Bellagio for a global women leaders summit before meeting Italian lawmakers in Rome. Hsiao Bi-khim's arrival in Ventotene weeks later followed that same pattern.
Forum Convenes Nobel Laureates and Global Democracy Advocates
Picierno launched the Ventotene forum in 2025 to bring together dissidents, civil society advocates, and European leaders to debate strategies for countering authoritarianism and defending democratic governance. This year's forum runs from September 10 to 12 and includes Oleksandra Matviichuk, head of the Ukrainian Center for Civil Liberties and recipient of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize.
Picierno is also an IPAC member, connecting the forum to a broader network of legislators across democratic nations who coordinate policy positions on China-related security and human rights issues.
