11月6日星期一，全球研究专业的高年级学生有机会与事实上的台湾驻美大使萧碧金众议员进行了虚拟会面。 这次会议是中国-台湾关系单元的高潮，该单元的重点是该地区不断升级的紧张局势，以及美国正在进行的战略模糊立场。 学生们提前准备了各种各样的问题，从个人问题到政治问题，比如萧薇的教育和职业道路，再到她目前的职位。 

肖代表首先谈到了她的日常外交职责。 She regularly meets with members of Congress, the National Security Council, and the State Department with the goal of maintaining bipartisan interest in supporting Taiwan. 她还与非政府组织、智库、外国外交官和州立法机构合作。 As she looks to the future, Taiwan’s number one priority is security – maintaining “stability and peace in the Taiwan strait” – within the current framework of the status quo. 另一个重点是通过促进贸易、投资、国际合作和创造就业机会来保持经济繁荣。” She lamented the “unfortunate reality that international organizations continue to exclude Taiwan because of pressure” from the People’s Republic of China. 她还表示希望“堵住国际合作努力中的漏洞”。 

Hsaio answered a question from Jasper Butler-Kurth about whether her government found it concerning that the US is attempting to cut its reliance on Taiwanese semiconductors. Hsiao expressed confidence that the two countries would continue to work together, and that Taiwan would not only continue to lead the world in this area, but was taking concrete steps to expand their production of semiconductors. 萧孝华强调了台湾的创新，并表示希望台湾经济在全球范围内被认可为“不可或缺和不可替代的”。 She finished with a question from Paloma Hsiao-Shelton (her niece) about recently being shortlisted for the position of Vice President on the Democratic Progressive Party ticket (alongside presidential candidate Lai Ching-Te). Hsiao expressed interest in continuing her work and remaining close to family in the United States, but also underscored the importance of the upcoming presidential elections in January 2024. 她提醒学生，台湾是一个年轻的民主国家，台湾人“珍惜投票权”。 她还提到在戒严令下长大，当时年轻人不能说出自己的想法，并指出第一次总统直接选举是在1996年。 最后，萧秀兰表示，她希望留在美国，但将继续帮助台湾应对“生存面临的多重威胁和挑战”。 

感谢2024届毕业生和他们的老师卡拉·费根博士的这篇文章！