Taiwan and Turkey are quietly deepening defense-industry ties, a positive sign for Taiwan's push to build its own drone sector despite the two having no formal diplomatic relations.

• A delegation of Turkish politicians and think tank scholars, led by Good Party deputy chair Ahmet Kamil Erozan and former deputy foreign minister Ümit Yardim, met Taiwan's ruling DPP in Taipei.
• Talks covered drones and defense manufacturing, parliamentary diplomacy, disaster relief, and building national resilience.
• Taiwan wants to copy Turkey's playbook — Turkey is one of the world's biggest drone exporters, and President Lai has made unmanned vehicles a national priority.
• The DPP says Taiwan's money has moved away from China, with investment there falling from 85% of outbound flows to under 5%, helped by semiconductors and AI.
• The DPP also warned that opposition lawmakers cutting defense budgets, including drone funding, is stoking public worry about security as China keeps up legal and information pressure.

Outlook: Expect more Taiwan-Turkey drone and defense industry contacts, though Taiwan's own defense spending fights at home remain the bigger obstacle.