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Hsiao's recent trip to Brussels facilitated by EU, Belgium: IPAC

ROC Central News Agency

11/10/2025 02:19 PM

London, Nov. 9 (CNA) Taiwan Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim's (蕭美琴) recent trip to Brussels and her address to the European Parliament were facilitated by the European Union and the Belgian government and were not linked to any quid pro quo, the organizers said Sunday.

The invitation was "freely" extended for Hsiao to attend the annual summit of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) and to address the European Parliament, which she did on Friday in a speech titled "Taiwan: A Trusted Partner in a Volatile World," IPAC told CNA.

It was the first time that a Taiwanese vice president had visited a non-allied country and had spoken in the European Parliament, according to Taiwan's foreign ministry.

Following Hsiao's return Sunday from the historic trip, online rumors erupted, alleging that it was made possible because IPAC was financially supported by the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, an NGO funded by Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs to promote democracy in the region.

Asked to comment on the rumors, founder and executive director of IPAC Luke de Pulford told CNA it was "fake news" that had been "completely fabricated."

"This is fake news. Our Co-Chairs freely invited the Vice-President, and she graciously and freely accepted. That's all there is to it," he told CNA in a written statement.

"The invitation was freely offered by IPAC's Co-Chairs, and freely accepted," he said. "IPAC is not supported by the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, and the notion that a donation or pledge was made by anybody in exchange for this invitation is ludicrous. We are proud to have made the event possible."

De Pulford also disputed online rumors that the EU and Belgium were unaware that Hsiao would be speaking at the IPAC summit.

"The President of the European Parliament, the European External Action Service, and the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs were fully aware of the visit, and we are grateful to all of them for their assistance," according to the IPAC founder.

Taiwan's Presidential Office said Sunday that it had asked law enforcement authorities to probe the "fabricated content" circulating online, and it urged the public not to repost the false information.

Meanwhile, Taiwan's top representative to the EU Shieh Jhy-wey (謝志偉) on Sunday posted on his Facebook page a photograph he had taken of Hsiao's security detail during her visit to Brussels.

The security detail was assigned to prevent any recurrence of a situation that occurred during Hsiao's visit to Europe in 2024 before she assumed office as vice president in May that year, Shieh said.

At the time, Taiwan and Czech Republic government authorities said that Chinese agents were carrying out surveillance of Hsiao and had planned to ram her car.

(By Chen Yun-yu and Joseph Yeh)

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