Germany's capital has formalized a pro-Taiwan caucus in its state parliament, a small but symbolic win for Taipei and a snub to Beijing.

• The Berlin-Taipei Friendship Group is now the state parliament's first officially registered foreign friendship body, backed by three party blocs: the CDU, SPD and Greens.
• Eighteen lawmakers from across parties joined, upgrading an informal group that pro-Taiwan members started on their own in 2022.
• The stated reason is China's mix of military and political pressure on Taiwan, with democracies urged to stand with Taipei.
• Berlin now matches the national German parliament in having a formal Taiwan group, and lawmakers in Hamburg, Lower Saxony, Hesse and Bavaria run similar informal groups.
• Berlin's own history as a free city surrounded by communist territory was used to draw the parallel with Taiwan.

Outlook: The group plans to push for more Berlin lawmakers to visit Taiwan and deepen trade and tech ties, which will likely draw protest from Beijing.