Taiwan is boosting its diplomacy budget and putting money into keeping its last African ally, Eswatini, on side — good news for Taiwanese firms looking at Africa, and a sign of how much Taipei is paying to hold its shrinking circle of allies.

• The foreign ministry is asking lawmakers for about NT$43.4 billion next year, up NT$3.8 billion from this year.
• NT$1 billion goes to a Taiwan industrial park in Eswatini, meant to pull Taiwanese companies in and create local jobs.
• The biggest slice, over NT$23 billion, is aid and cooperation: roads, hospitals, and other basic projects for allied countries in the Pacific, Africa, and Latin America.
• Secret diplomatic spending jumps by close to NT$700 million, to roughly NT$2.4 billion.
• NT$250 million is set aside to help rebuild Ukraine alongside the US and Europe, including smart hospital projects.

Outlook: The budget still has to clear Taiwan's parliament, where opposition parties have been cutting government spending requests.