A cross-party group of Taiwanese lawmakers is in Japan for a regional parliamentary summit, a small but useful win for Taiwan's diplomatic standing.

• Deputy Legislative Speaker Chiang Chi-chen is leading a 14-member delegation to Tokyo for the Asian-Pacific Parliamentarians' Union meeting.
• The group spans all three main parties — KMT, DPP and TPP — a rare show of unity on foreign policy.
• The summit's theme is keeping trade open and making regional supply chains tougher against disruption.
• Taiwan is pitching itself as a critical link in global supply chains at a moment when those chains are being rebuilt.
• Talks with Japanese lawmakers will cover trade, culture and closer ties between the two sides.

Outlook: Expect warmer Taiwan-Japan working ties and more supply-chain cooperation talk, though nothing binding comes out of these gatherings.