Hsiao Bi-khim

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Hsiao Bi-khim (Chinese: 蕭美琴; pinyin: Xiāo Měiqín; Wade-Giles: Hsiao Mei-ch'in; Pe̍h-oē-jī: Siau Bí-khîm) is a legislator for the Democratic Progressive Party in Taiwan. She is also a treasurer of Liberal International.

Hsiao was born in Tokyo, Japan, to a Taiwanese father and American mother.

Hsiao has a master's degree in international relations from Columbia University and is fluent in Mandarin, English and Taiwanese.

Hsiao worked for the Presidential office and served as an advisor and interpreter to President Chen Shui-bian for nearly two years. She was subsequently elected to the Legislative Yuan in 2002. Hsiao is also an important figure in DPP foreign policy circles (Her 2003 presentation at Brookings) and has worked on a number of issues, including women's rights, and the rights of foreigners in Taiwan.

In 2002 a local magazine accused Hsiao of having an affair with President Chen, claiming that Vice President Annette Lu had leaked the story to them. No evidence supported the tale, and Lu successfully sued the magazine. Hsiao was criticized in 2005 when she started a campign to encourage Taiwanese baseball fans to write e-mails to the New York Yankees to request that the Yankees keep Taiwanese pitcher Chien-Ming Wang at the major league level.[1][2]