Hsiao Bi-khim facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hsiao Bi-khim
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蕭美琴
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Official portrait, 2024
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| 13th Vice President of the Republic of China | |||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 20 May 2024 |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| Preceded by | Wang Ting-son (9th) | ||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Fu Kun-chi (9th) | ||||||||||||||||
| Constituency | Hualien County (9th) Party-list (8th) |
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| In office 1 February 2002 – 1 February 2008 |
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| Constituency | Taipei 1 (6th) Overseas (5th) |
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||
| Born |
Bi-Khim Louise Hsiao
7 August 1971 Kobe, Japan |
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| Citizenship | Taiwan United States (until 2002) |
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| Political party | Democratic Progressive Party | ||||||||||||||||
| Education | Oberlin College (BA) Columbia University (MA) |
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| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 蕭美琴 | ||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 萧美琴 | ||||||||||||||||
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Hsiao Bi-khim (born Bi-khim Louise Hsiao; 7 August 1971) is an important politician and diplomat from Taiwan. She is currently the 13th vice president of the Republic of China, a role she started in 2024. She works alongside President Lai Ching-te. Hsiao is special because she is Taiwan's first vice president with parents from different backgrounds (her father is Taiwanese, and her mother is American).
Before becoming vice president, she served as Taiwan's top representative to the United States from 2020 to 2023. She was also a member of Taiwan's parliament, called the Legislative Yuan, for many years. Hsiao was born in Kōbe, Japan. She grew up in Tainan, Taiwan, and later moved to the United States. There, she studied at Oberlin College and earned a master's degree from Columbia University. She is a member of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and is well-known for her work in foreign policy.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Hsiao Bi-khim was born on August 7, 1971, in Kōbe, Japan. Her father, Hsiao Tsing-fen, is Taiwanese, and her mother, Peggy Cooley, is American. Her mother's family has a long history in the United States, dating back to the ship called the Mayflower in 1620.
Hsiao grew up in Tainan, a city in southern Taiwan. She learned to speak Mandarin, Taiwanese Hokkien, and English. Her family was part of the Presbyterian faith. When she was a teenager, she moved to the United States. She finished high school at Montclair High School in Montclair, New Jersey. In 1993, she earned a bachelor's degree in East Asian studies from Oberlin College. Later, in 1995, she received a master's degree in political science from Columbia University.
Starting in Politics
While living in the United States, Hsiao became involved with the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). She helped coordinate activities for the party's office there. When she returned to Taiwan, she became the DPP's director for international affairs. This role meant she represented the party at many international meetings for over ten years.
In 2000, when Chen Shui-bian became the President of the Republic of China, Hsiao worked as his interpreter and advisor for almost two years. At that time, she had citizenship in both the US and Taiwan. Taiwan's law for government workers requires them to have only Taiwanese citizenship. So, in 2002, she gave up her US citizenship.
Working in Parliament
In January 2001, Hsiao announced she wanted to run for a seat in the Legislative Yuan. This is Taiwan's parliament, where laws are made. She ran as a member representing Taiwanese people living overseas, using her experience in international relations. She was elected in December of that year.
In the 2004 elections, Hsiao was reelected to the Legislative Yuan. This time, she represented a district in Taipei. As a legislator, she worked on committees dealing with foreign affairs, procedures, and discipline.
Hsiao focused on several important issues during her time in parliament. She worked to improve women's rights and the rights of foreigners living in Taiwan. She also supported changes to laws to prevent discrimination and domestic violence.
In May 2005, Hsiao represented the DPP at a big meeting in Sofia, Bulgaria. During this meeting, she was chosen as a vice-president of an organization called Liberal International.
Hsiao left the Legislative Yuan in January 2008. She then worked as a spokesperson for Frank Hsieh's presidential campaign. She also became involved with several other organizations, including the Taiwan Tibet Exchange Foundation and the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy.
From 2010, Hsiao spent ten years working for the DPP in Hualien County. This area was traditionally very supportive of another political party. Even though she lost an election there by a small number of votes, she was seen as making progress for her party. She opened an office in Hualien and traveled weekly between Taipei and Hualien.
Hsiao returned to the Legislative Yuan in February 2012. In 2016, she became the legislator for Hualien County. She lost her seat in the 2020 elections.
Diplomatic Career
After her term in the Legislative Yuan ended in 2020, Hsiao became an adviser to the National Security Council in March 2020. In June of that year, she was appointed Taiwan's representative to the United States. This was a very important role, and she was the first woman to hold it. Hsiao officially started this job on July 20, 2020.
On January 20, 2021, Hsiao was invited to attend the inauguration of US President Joe Biden. This was a significant event because it was the first time Taiwan's representative had officially attended a US presidential inauguration since 1979. She said that "Democracy is our common language and freedom is our common objective."
In 2021, on Taiwan National Day, Hsiao threw the first pitch at a New York Mets baseball game. This celebrated the 16th annual Mets Taiwan Day.
In August 2022, after a visit by then-Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan, China placed Hsiao and six other Taiwanese officials on a blacklist. This meant they were not allowed to enter mainland China, Hong Kong, or Macau. China said they supported "Taiwanese independence." In April 2023, China put more sanctions on Hsiao after another meeting between Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen and US Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Vice Presidency (2024–present)
On November 20, 2023, Lai Ching-te, the presidential candidate for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), officially announced that Hsiao would be his running mate for vice president in the 2024 Taiwanese presidential election. On January 13, 2024, Lai and Hsiao won the election. This was the DPP's third straight presidential victory.
In March 2024, Hsiao visited the United States. This was her first trip abroad since being elected vice president. China's embassy in the US said they were against her visit. Later that month, Hsiao also visited the Czech Republic. She spoke at a Czech research center. China's Foreign Ministry said the Czech government should "severely restrain certain (Czech) politicians" because of her visit.
In May 2024, Hsiao went to Geneva to support Taiwan's participation in the World Health Assembly. She also spoke in Taipei, asking for Taiwan to be included in this important health forum.
In August 2024, China's Taiwan Affairs Office listed Hsiao and nine other Taiwanese politicians as "die-hard Taiwanese independence separatists." Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council said this action would make it harder for the two sides to have good exchanges.
Personal Life
Hsiao's father, Hsiao Ching-fen, used to be the president of the Tainan Theological College and Seminary.
Hsiao is a big fan of cats. In July 2020, she said she planned to take her four cats with her when she moved to the US for her diplomatic role. She joked that she would use "cat warrior" diplomacy to counter China's "wolf warrior" diplomacy.
Honors
Order of Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon (Taiwan, 2024)
Images for kids
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Official portrait, 2024
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Official portrait during the 6th Legislative Yuan.
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Official portrait as Representative to the United States.
