Taiwan used a traditional religious ceremony as a piece of quiet diplomacy, a small but friendly gesture toward the countries that still stand with it.

• Taiwan's foreign ministry held its Ghost Month offering ceremony and, for the first time, invited envoys from 12 formal allies and 12 friendly countries.
• Guests included representatives from St. Lucia, the Marshall Islands, Paraguay, Belize, Eswatini, the United States, Japan, Britain, South Korea, the Philippines and Canada.
• Each country brought something from home for the offering table — Japanese, Korean and Filipino snacks, American beer, Canadian maple syrup — alongside the usual flowers, fruit and meat offerings.
• Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung handed out packs of Kuai Kuai, the snack Taiwanese offices keep around for luck, printed with good-fortune slogans.
• The point was diplomatic: showing Taiwan values its remaining allies and wants more cultural contact with countries that share its outlook.

Outlook: Expect Taipei to keep leaning on soft-power events like this to hold together a shrinking circle of diplomatic partners.