Taiwan is using culture as a diplomatic door-opener in Europe, a small but positive step for its push to build ties outside official channels.

• Taiwan's culture minister Li Yuan is in Britain — the first such visit by a Taiwanese culture minister.
• The trip is a scouting mission: London's Barbican Centre and the Young V&A are models for museums Taiwan is now building.
• Those projects include a children's museum, a railway museum and a comics museum.
• Next stop is France, for the long-running Taiwan-France Cultural Award.
• The pitch is soft power — inviting European arts leaders to Taiwan for joint work at a time when formal diplomacy is largely closed off.

Outlook: Li wraps up the European tour by mid-September, with cultural exchange deals the likely follow-up.