Taiwan is using a regional parliamentary gathering in Japan to push for closer economic and security ties, a modest but positive step for Taipei's international standing.

• Taiwan's deputy legislative speaker Johnny Chiang led a cross-party delegation to the 54th Asian-Pacific Parliamentarians' Union meeting in Japan, with 13 member countries taking part.
• The message: pandemics and regional conflicts have broken global supply chains, and no country can handle that alone.
• Lawmakers were urged to turn promises into real action through laws, budgets, and policy talks, matching the meeting's theme of keeping trade open and supply chains resilient.
• Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sent a message calling for tighter partnerships as the international situation grows more volatile.
• On the sidelines, the Taiwanese delegation held talks with the Marshall Islands, one of its few remaining diplomatic allies, and with the Philippines on maritime issues.

Outlook: Expect Taiwan to keep leaning on parliamentary diplomacy to build ties where formal diplomatic recognition is out of reach.