Taiwan says it will keep building closer ties with friendly democracies to counter growing pressure from China — a signal of continuity that reassures Washington but does nothing to thaw relations across the strait.

• Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim told a visiting Stanford Hoover Institution group that Taiwan will deepen cooperation with the US, Europe, Japan and Southeast Asia.
• Defense spending is rising toward 3% of the economy, paired with military reform and a first-ever civil-defense element in the annual Han Kuang war games.
• Taiwan pitched its chip and AI supply chain as a joint project with the US, hoping tariffs and politics do not derail trade talks.
• China still refuses direct talks with Taiwan's elected government; Taipei says it will not provoke but will not give ground on democracy.
• The visiting scholars praised Taiwan's resilience while urging its own feuding parties to stop paralyzing the legislature and courts.

Outlook: Expect Taiwan to keep pushing defense spending higher and to press for a trade deal with Washington, with no sign of dialogue with Beijing resuming.