Taiwan's president welcomed the largest-ever Italian parliamentary delegation to Taipei, a small but positive sign for Taiwan's push to build support among European democracies.

• Italian Senate deputy speaker Gian Marco Centinaio led a cross-party group of senators and deputies on his fifth trip to Taiwan.
• The message from both sides: democracies have to back each other as authoritarian power keeps expanding.
• Italy passed a law protecting borrowed foreign artifacts from seizure, clearing the way for Taiwanese treasures to be shown in Italian museums.
• Italy has sent warships to the Indo-Pacific three years running, including its aircraft carrier during its G7 presidency.
• Italy is now Taiwan's fourth-biggest trading partner in the EU, pairing Italian cars, design and materials with Taiwanese chips and electronics.

Outlook: Expect more trade and industry deals between the two, and more friction with Beijing over the visits.