35 Facts About Hsiao Bi-khim

Hsiao Bi-khim was born on Bi-khim Louise Hsiao; 7 August 1971 and is a Taiwanese politician and diplomat who has been the 13th and current vice president of the Republic of China since 2024, serving under President Lai Ching-te.

Hsiao Bi-khim was the Taiwanese representative to the United States from 2020 to 2023, and formerly served as a legislator of the Legislative Yuan from 2002 to 2008 and again between 2012 and 2020.

Hsiao Bi-khim formerly served as a vice president of Liberal International.

Hsiao Bi-khim grew up in the city of Tainan in southern Taiwan.

Hsiao Bi-khim spoke Mandarin, Taiwanese Hokkien, and English, and was raised in a Presbyterian family.

Hsiao Bi-khim moved to the United States as a teenager and graduated from Montclair High School in Montclair, New Jersey.

Hsiao Bi-khim graduated from Oberlin College in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts in East Asian studies.

Hsiao Bi-khim then did graduate study in political science at Columbia University and received a Master of Arts in 1995.

Hsiao Bi-khim stayed at Columbia to pursue a doctorate in political science and was recruited to establish an office for the DPP in Washington, DC She ultimately left the university's Ph.

On returning to Taiwan, Hsiao Bi-khim became the party's international affairs director, and represented the party at various international conferences for over a decade.

In January 2001, Hsiao Bi-khim announced her intention to run for the Legislative Yuan on the DPP ticket as a supplementary member representing overseas constituencies, citing her experience in international relations.

Hsiao Bi-khim worked on a number of issues in the legislature, notably women's rights, the rights of foreigners in Taiwan, and other human rights.

Hsiao Bi-khim supported amending the Nationality Law to allow individuals born to at least one parent of ROC nationality to claim ROC nationality irrespective of age, and has proposed and cosponsored anti-discrimination and anti-domestic violence amendments to the Immigration Act.

In May 2005, Hsiao Bi-khim represented the DPP at the annual congress of Liberal International in Sofia, Bulgaria, during which she was elected a vice-president of the organization.

Hsiao Bi-khim alleged that she and other DPP representatives were followed throughout their visit to Bulgaria by two unidentified persons sent by the People's Republic of China embassy in Sofia.

Hsiao Bi-khim was one of the DPP lawmakers targeted by some party supporters as being insufficiently loyal, with a pro-independence radio show dubbing her "Chinese Khim" in March 2007, charging that she was close to the DPP's former New Tide faction.

Hsiao Bi-khim left the Legislative Yuan after her term expired on 31 January 2008.

Hsiao Bi-khim served as spokesperson for Frank Hsieh's unsuccessful 2008 presidential campaign.

Hsiao Bi-khim is vice chairman of the Taiwan Tibet Exchange Foundation, a member of the board of trustees of the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, a member of the executive committee of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats, and a founding member of the Taiwan Association for Women in Sport.

From 2010, Hsiao Bi-khim spent a decade representing the DPP in Hualien County, a strongly pro-Kuomintang conservative region.

Hsiao Bi-khim then set up a Hualien service office, and continued making weekly journeys between Taipei and Hualien.

Hsiao Bi-khim returned to the Legislative Yuan in February 2012, elected via party list proportional representation.

In 2016, Hsiao Bi-khim succeeded Wang Ting-son as legislator for Hualien County.

Hsiao Bi-khim did not yield to pressure, and continued to speak out for Hualien Pride.

Hsiao Bi-khim lost her seat to Fu Kun-chi in the 2020 legislative elections.

Hsiao Bi-khim stepped down from the Legislative Yuan upon the end of her term in 2020, and was named an adviser to the National Security Council in March 2020.

Hsiao Bi-khim succeeded Stanley Kao, and was the first woman to assume the role.

On 20 January 2021, Hsiao Bi-khim was officially invited to and attended the inauguration of US President Joe Biden, the first time Taiwan's US representative had officially attended a US presidential inauguration since the US broke off diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 1979.

On Taiwan National Day 2021, Hsiao Bi-khim threw the ceremonial first pitch before a New York Mets game, celebrating the 16th annual Mets Taiwan Day.

On 13 January 2024, Lai and Hsiao Bi-khim were elected president and vice president in the DPP's third consecutive presidential race victory.

Later on the same month, Hsiao Bi-khim visited Czech Republic where she was invited to speak at the Czech think tank Sinopsis.

In May 2024, concurrent with a bipartisan trip to Geneva to advocate for Taiwan's participation in the World Health Assembly, Hsiao Bi-khim called for Taiwan's inclusion in the forum at the Aesthetic Medicine World Congress and Taiwan Dermatology Aesthetics Conference in Taipei.

Hsiao Bi-khim's father, Hsiao Ching-fen, was a former president of the Tainan Theological College and Seminary.

In November 2000, The Journalist, a local tabloid magazine, wrongly claimed to have been told by Vice President Annette Lu that Hsiao Bi-khim was having an affair with President Chen.

Hsiao Bi-khim is a cat lover, saying in July 2020 that she planned to take her four cats with her when she moved to the US as Taiwan's top representative to the country.