Taiwan is forging ties with Ventotene, but Beijing already has its ‘wolf warrior’ ready in Rome

Last Thursday, when Taiwanese Vice-President Hsiao Bi-khim landed in Italy, the Chinese embassy in Rome was unoccupied. Beijing’s new ambassador, Hou Yue, did not arrive in Rome until 12 September. This may explain China’s relatively measured reaction, with the ‘serious protests’ being voiced by the Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning, rather than by the Taiwan Affairs Office – the body that usually intervenes on issues more directly linked to the Strait. Hsiao, Taiwan’s former diplomatic representative in Washington, who describes herself as a ‘cat warrior’ to emphasise her distance from the aggressive style of Chinese diplomats, the so-called ‘wolf warriors’, arrived in Ventotene accompanied by Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung to take part in the second ‘Ventotene European Conference for Freedom and Democracy’. 

The invitation to Taiwan’s second-in-command came from the European Parliament and its Vice-President, Pina Picierno. This is also why Beijing has not lodged a formal protest with the Italian Foreign Ministry, as confirmed to Il Foglio, and for the time being there are no reports of potential retaliation against Italy. For China, the invitation to Hsiao – a representative of a government that Xi Jinping’s leadership does not recognise and considers illegitimate, as it claims Taiwan as its own territory and is prepared to take it by force – is formally an act of the European Parliament, not of the Italian government. Indeed, even in Brussels, where the European Commission is doing its utmost to find a solution to the dilemma of its relationship with China, Hsiao’s participation was met with embarrassment. According to a report by Euractiv, the European Commission’s representation in Italy informed the European Parliament’s liaison office – whose staff were already on the island – that it wished to withdraw its logo from the event after learning of Taiwan’s participation. The Commission official who was due to speak is part of the Directorate-General for Communication. The paradox is that, just a few weeks earlier, at the EU Investment Forum in Taipei – opened by Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te himself – the Commission had been represented by a more senior figure, a director from the Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology.

Participation in the Ventotene conference nevertheless demonstrated what the organisers and Picierno set out to prove: Beijing does not want representatives of Taiwanese institutions to address European and Western audiences; it wants the cancellation of public events that host them; it wants to censor the public existence of the democratic government in Taipei. It is no coincidence that, just over a month ago, both Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Lin – who was in Milan for a business summit – and former Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen – a figure of great sensitivity to Beijing, not least because she is well-regarded and popular in the West – were in Italy. On that occasion, China made no statement criticising Italy. According to information obtained by Il Foglio, the Italian government had agreed to the visit of these two figures on condition that there were no events receiving excessive media coverage, perhaps also in anticipation of the stir that Hsiao’s subsequent visit would cause. According to sources consulted by Il Foglio, the absence of a Chinese ambassador based in Rome would also have given the Italian Foreign Ministry greater room for manoeuvre in authorising the vice-president’s participation.

Her arrival on the island of Ventotene, according to the organisers, remained under a news blackout until the very last moment precisely to avoid any possible reprisals – although the news was in fact already circulating amongst those in the know, and in such cases leaks are more likely. According to some unconfirmed rumours, there were reportedly problems with the flight route of the aeroplane that was due to bring Hsiao’s delegation to Italy, and she herself spoke of a journey lasting “27 hours”, involving aeroplanes, trains and transfers. There is a reason for this caution: according to Czech military intelligence, during Hsiao’s visit to Prague in March 2024, Chinese diplomats and agents followed her and allegedly planned an act of physical intimidation, including a possible staged road accident targeting the motorcade.

One thing is certain: from today, relations between Rome and Taipei will be closely monitored in Beijing. The new Chinese ambassador to Rome, Hou Yue, born in 1970, served as China’s ambassador to Norway until a few months ago, but previously held the post of Director-General of the Department for Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs, and is therefore very familiar with the issue. Yesterday, the Global Times, the Chinese state-run daily newspaper close to the Communist Party, also echoed the Foreign Ministry’s line, writing that ‘separatist forces’ are ‘desperately seeking opportunities for visibility’ and ‘pursuing independence by relying on foreign powers’, whilst hiding behind the words ‘democracy’ and ‘freedom’. Speaking at the Ventotene conference, Hsiao said that, for her, “the most significant aspect of this trip lies not only in participating in a forum in a specific location, but also in making Taiwan’s voice heard by many more people in a place of such historical importance”, and she highlighted our shared challenges: “Authoritarianism, ‘grey zone’ threats and challenges involving coercion and attempts to alter the status quo continue to emerge in various forms and places; these are challenges with which Taiwan is all too familiar.”