Madame Vice President? Taiwan’s Hsiao Shakes Up the Polls
Former envoy to the US Hsiao Bi-Khim is the island’s best hope of avoiding Hong Kong’s fate.
Walking the diplomatic tightrope.
Photographer: I-Hwa Cheng/AFP
Badass. Cat warrior. A diehard “Taiwan independence” separatist. These are just a few of the adjectives used to describe Hsiao Bi-Khim, the government’s former top emissary to the US. She’s used to walking a diplomatic tightrope between Beijing and Taipei. That’s why she gave herself the moniker of cat warrior — a deliberate contrast with China’s wolf-warrior diplomacy — and a recognition of how useful the nimble and flexible characteristics of felines are when trying to stay on the fine line that is Taiwanese politics.
And now she will get a chance to put those skills to work. In a widely expected move Monday, Vice President William Lai of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party selected Hsiao as his running mate in January’s election. The endorsement makes good sense — she has strong ties to Washington and is well-liked in both foreign policy and business circles.