Taiwan vice president calls for cross-strait peace in rare European speech

Taiwan Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim on Friday called for cross-strait peace in a rare speech delivered to a group of international lawmakers at a meeting held in the European Parliament building.It is unusual for a high-ranking Taiwanese representative to speak in a foreign parliament, and the only European country that has official diplomatic relations with Taiwan is the Vatican, which is not a member of the European Union.Hsiao's visit to Belgium, which hosts the European Parliament, alongside Taiwan's Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung, triggered backlash from Beijing later in the day. China…READ FULL ARTICLE