Bi-khim Hsiao was born in Kobe, Japan in 1971 to father Ching-fen Hsiao from Tainan, who served as president of Tainan Theological College, and mother Peggy Cooley, an American music teacher. With her diverse international background encompassing Japan, Taiwan, and the United States, Bi-khim Hsiao acted as a bridge of communication for her family. This background would also help shape her “cat warrior” approach to diplomacy, which emphasizes flexibility, nimbleness, and the ability to tread softly yet firmly.
During her childhood in Taiwan, she attended the National University of Tainan Affiliated Primary School and Tainan Municipal Houjia Junior High School. After graduating from junior high school, she and her family moved to the US, where she attended senior high school. In 1993, Bi-khim Hsiao earned a B.A. in East Asian Studies from Oberlin College. She then went on to earn an M.A. in Political Science from Columbia University, specializing in international relations.
After receiving her M.A., Bi-khim Hsiao began her political career as program coordinator for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)’s US mission in 1995, becoming deputy director of its Department of International Affairs the following year, and director from 1997 to 2006. In 2000, she also served as an advisor in Taiwan’s Presidential Office, as well as secretary and interpreter for the president.
Starting in 2001, Bi-khim Hsiao served as a representative at-large for the DPP, and was a member of the 5th, 6th, 8th, and 9th Legislative Yuan. During her terms, she worked to promote transport infrastructure and agriculture in Hualien, while also focusing on issues related to gender equality, diplomacy, and human rights. Her efforts and professionalism in diplomacy earned her deep trust from both local institutions and international organizations, as she went on to serve as a member of the board of trustees of the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (2003-2020), Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD) secretary general (2004-2005), CALD chair (2018-2020), and vice president of the bureau of Liberal International (2005-2012).
In 2020, she served as senior advisor to the National Security Council, and in July of the same year, was appointed as representative of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to the United States. Despite the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic at this time, Bi-khim Hsiao made outstanding diplomatic achievements, being named in international media as one of Washington, DC’s most influential ambassadors. She returned to Taiwan in 2023 to run in the 16th-term presidential elections, and was successfully elected as 16th-term vice president.
