Tsai Ing-wen becomes first former Taiwan President to visit Italian Senate

Former Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) visited the Italian Senate, where she was personally received by Senate Vice President Gian Marco Centinaio, marking a diplomatic first for a former Taiwanese president. An expert says the visit represents a significant boost for Taiwan.

Tsai’s visit

Tsai traveled to Italy from June 22 to 25 to attend the Global Women Leaders Summit, where she exchanged views with current and former female leaders from around the world, as well as a new generation of political and civic leaders, and appeared alongside former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

In a June 28 Facebook post, Tsai said she had also been invited to visit the Italian Senate and was personally received by Centinaio. She said the visit reflected the gradual deepening of exchanges between Taiwan and Italy.

Tsai noted that exchanges between Taiwan and Europe are becoming increasingly close, and that international understanding of Taiwan is no longer confined to geopolitics or security across the Taiwan Strait. 

Instead, she said, Taiwan is increasingly recognized for its contributions to the international community in democratic governance, technological development, supply chain resilience, and women's leadership.

A boost for Taiwan

Chen Fang-yu (陳方隅), a professor in the Department of Political Science at Soochow University, told TCN that Tsai's strong command of English, along with her demeanor and bearing, has won wide recognition. 

He said her performance interacting with leaders from various countries and sectors on the international stage represents a major asset for Taiwan, calling her one of the country's best diplomats.

Chen said former heads of state generally face fewer constraints than sitting officials, who tend to come under greater pressure from China. As a result, he said, former presidents have more freedom of movement and access to higher-level engagements, which he described as a clear benefit for Taiwan.

Chen said the overall effect of Tsai's travels is to “raise Taiwan's visibility on multiple fronts.”

Taiwan-Europe relations

On the question of whether Tsai's visit marks a turning point in Taiwan-Europe relations, Chen said it would be difficult to characterize it that way, noting that diplomatic work is the product of long-term accumulation rather than single events.

He said progress in Taiwan-Europe relations will continue to require gradual breakthroughs, built around issues such as China, democratic defense, democratic resilience, and women's leadership — all of which he described as effective entry points.

Chen said these are values that European countries care deeply about and are actively promoting. 

He attributed this partly to Europe's broader mobilization in response to Russia's war against Ukraine and the expansion of authoritarianism, and partly to the European Union's longstanding emphasis on gender and diversity issues. He said these are areas Taiwan should actively leverage.

Chen also cautioned that the EU's consensus-based decision-making mechanism often stalls discussions in formal settings, meaning Taiwan must continue to invest in long-term engagement with Europe.

Speculation about a Tsai comeback

Since leaving office, Tsai has maintained relatively high popularity in Taiwan and continues to command significant online attention. 

According to the latest data from Taiwan's DailyView website, which tracks online sentiment toward political figures, Tsai's online influence score remains notably high.

Tsai has also been highly active on the social platform Threads, where her follower count has surpassed 1 million. She frequently interacts with users, and posts garnering tens of thousands of likes are common.

Amid Tsai's sustained popularity and frequent public activity, speculation emerged in early 2026 that she could challenge President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) for the 2028 presidential nomination.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Shih-chien (王世堅) stated on March 18 that Tsai had "absolutely no intention or plan to make a comeback or run for president."

Chen said the probability of a Tsai comeback bid is effectively zero, adding that the topic does not warrant further discussion. 

He said there is no necessity for such a move, arguing that a comeback bid would effectively call into question the legitimacy of the current DPP leadership — a position he said would be difficult to justify. 

A mature political party, he added, should have its own succession pipeline and mechanisms for recruiting and cultivating talent, and speculation of this kind is typically intended only to stir up political controversy.