An interview with Hsiao Bi-khim, candidate for Taiwan’s vice-president

On December 12thDPP DPPUS US Hsiao Bi-khim, Taiwan’s former representative to America and current vice-presidential candidate for the ruling Democratic and Progressive Party () in an to be held on January 13th 2024, sat down for an interview with at the’s headquarters in Taipei. She spoke about the challenges of representing Taiwan, which has no formal statehood, at a tumultuous time in both American politics and the -China relationship. She also laid out her vision for “cat-warrior diplomacy”, a pragmatic way to strengthen Taiwan’s international position—and counter China’s “wolf-warrior” aggression. This is a transcript of the conversation, lightly edited for length and clarity.Tell us about the challenges you facedrepresenting Taiwan in America, in terms of Taiwan’s unrecognised status, pressure from China and also working across partisan lines.Well, first I’d rather not use the word unrecognised. We are in a very unique international situation, a one-and-only unique situation. But Taiwan is certainly recognised for our democratic and economic achievements, and we are proud of that. We’d like to highlight that in all of our work in Washington as well as elsewhere around the world. I think our democratic and economic achievements are important as a foundation for seeking greater support for Taiwan. Of course, as I said, we are unique, and that creates some challenges. We need to be innovative. We need to be very pragmatic and flexible. There are aspects of diplomacy that other countries take for granted that are part of traditions and precedents, but do not necessarily apply to Taiwan. We have to find pathways that are not only workable, but also pragmatic. I’ve tried to navigate that space by finding the most effective venues for Taiwan. For example, by forging ahead in deepening our economic relationship. We signed a trade agreement called the -Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade, which we are pleased to say was the first trade agreement of the Biden administration with an international partner. We’ve also had to find a very unique pathway in resolving some long-standing double taxation issues that have been an obstacle to mutual investment. This is a very unique pathway. Again, not having a treaty status has made this very difficult for decades. But I think we have been able to find that very effective and unique pathway with the support of Congress and bipartisan friends.