Hsiao Bi-khim facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hsiao Bi-khim
蕭美琴
Official portrait, 2024
13th Vice President of the Republic of China
Incumbent
Assumed office 20 May 2024
President	Lai Ching-te
Preceded by	Lai Ching-te
15th Representative of Taiwan to the United States
In office 20 July 2020 – 30 November 2023
President	Tsai Ing-wen
Preceded by	Stanley Kao
Succeeded by	Alexander Yui
Member of the Legislative Yuan
In office 1 February 2012 – 31 January 2020
Preceded by	Wang Ting-son (9th)
Succeeded by	Fu Kun-chi (9th)
Constituency	Hualien County (9th) Party-list (8th)
In office 1 February 2002 – 1 February 2008
Constituency	Taipei 1 (6th) Overseas (5th)
Personal details
Born	Bi-Khim Louise Hsiao (1971-08-07) 7 August 1971 (age 53) Kobe, Japan
Citizenship	Taiwan United States (until 2002)
Political party	Democratic Progressive Party
Education	Oberlin College (BA) Columbia University (MA)
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	蕭美琴
Simplified Chinese	萧美琴
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Xiāo Měiqín Bopomofo ㄒㄧㄠ ㄇㄟˇ ㄑㄧㄣˊ Wade–Giles Hsiao1 Mei3-ch'in2 IPA [ɕi̯áu̯ mèi̯.tɕʰǐn] Southern Min Hokkien POJ Siau Bí-khîm

Hsiao Bi-khim (born August 7, 1971) is a politician and diplomat from Taiwan. Since 2024, she has been the Vice President of the Republic of China, serving with President Lai Ching-te.

Before becoming vice president, she was Taiwan's representative to the United States from 2020 to 2023. This job is similar to being an ambassador. She also served for many years in Taiwan's government body that makes laws, called the Legislative Yuan.

Hsiao is a member of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). She is known for her work in foreign policy, which means she helps manage Taiwan's relationships with other countries.

Early Life and Schooling

Hsiao Bi-khim was born in Kōbe, Japan. Her father, Hsiao Ching-fen, is from Taiwan, and her mother, Peggy Cooley, is from the United States.

She grew up in the city of Tainan in southern Taiwan. As a child, she learned to speak Mandarin, Taiwanese Hokkien, and English. When she was a teenager, her family moved to the United States. She went to high school in Montclair, New Jersey.

After high school, Hsiao attended Oberlin College and studied East Asian studies. She later earned a master's degree in political science from Columbia University. She was studying for her Ph.D. but left to return to Taiwan to help with the important 1996 presidential election.

Starting Her Career in Politics

While in the United States, Hsiao became involved with the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). The DPP is one of the main political parties in Taiwan. When she returned to Taiwan, she became the party's director of international affairs.

In 2000, when Chen Shui-bian became president, Hsiao worked as his advisor and interpreter. At the time, she was a citizen of both Taiwan and the United States. A new law required government workers to be only Taiwanese citizens, so she gave up her U.S. citizenship in 2002.

Working in the Legislative Yuan

Official portrait during the 6th Legislative Yuan.

In 2001, Hsiao was elected to the Legislative Yuan, which is Taiwan's main law-making body, like the U.S. Congress. She was reelected in 2004 to represent a district in Taipei. As a legislator, she worked on important committees that dealt with foreign relations.

Hsiao focused on several key issues. She worked to protect women's rights and the rights of foreigners living in Taiwan. She also cared deeply about animal rights and helped improve the Animal Protection Act.

In 2005, Hsiao was elected as a vice-president of an organization called Liberal International. During a trip to Bulgaria for the organization, she reported that people from the Chinese embassy were following her and other Taiwanese representatives.

Hsiao returned to the Legislative Yuan in 2012. In 2016, she was elected to represent Hualien County. She was a strong supporter of legalizing same-sex marriage, and she continued to support the LGBT community even when faced with pressure. She lost her seat in the 2020 election.

Hsiao at the Legislative Yuan in 2014.

Representing Taiwan in the United States

Hsiao Bi-khim in New York while serving as Taiwan's representative to the U.S.

After leaving the legislature, Hsiao was appointed as Taiwan's representative to the United States in June 2020. She was the first woman to hold this important position.

In January 2021, she was officially invited to the inauguration of U.S. President Joe Biden. This was a major event because it was the first time a Taiwanese representative had officially attended a U.S. presidential inauguration since 1979.

Because of her support for Taiwan's independence, the government of China put her on a blacklist in 2022 and again in 2023. This means she is not allowed to travel to mainland China, Hong Kong, or Macau.

Becoming Vice President

In November 2023, Lai Ching-te, the DPP's candidate for president, chose Hsiao to be his running mate for vice president. In January 2024, they won the election. This was the third time in a row that the DPP won the presidency.

As vice president-elect, she visited the United States and the Czech Republic in March 2024. During her visit to Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, a car from the Chinese embassy was caught following her. The incident led to an investigation by the Czech government.

In May 2024, she spoke in support of Taiwan joining the World Health Assembly, an international health organization. In August, China's government publicly named her as a "die-hard Taiwanese independence separatist." Taiwan's government criticized this action, saying it hurt the chances for positive talks between the two sides.

Personal Life

Hsiao's father, Hsiao Ching-fen, was the president of a university in Tainan.

Hsiao is a well-known cat lover. When she moved to the U.S. to be Taiwan's representative, she brought her four cats with her. She famously said she would counter China's aggressive "wolf warrior" diplomacy with her own "cat warrior" diplomacy, showing a firm but friendly approach.

Honors

• Order of Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon (Taiwan, 2024)