AFP — 20 January 2021
Taiwan’s de facto ambassador Hsiao Bi-khim was formally invited to President Joe Biden’s inauguration in what Taipei said was a precedent-setting first since Washington switched recognition to Beijing in 1979. “Democracy is our common language and freedom is our common objective,” said Hsiao at the inauguration. Taipei’s foreign ministry said it was the first time in decades that a Taiwanese envoy had been “formally invited” by the inauguration’s organising committee, describing it as “a new breakthrough in 42 years.” China has swung more authoritarian under President Xi Jinping, with Beijing’s fighter jets buzzing Taiwan at a record rate in 2020.