Taiwan scored a rare diplomatic win in Europe, with a senior European Parliament figure publicly welcoming its vice president — a move likely to anger Beijing.

• Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim traveled to the Italian island of Ventotene as a guest at a conference on democracy and freedom.
• European Parliament Vice-President Pina Picierno hosted her and said talks between Europe and Taiwan matter to everyone's security.
• Picierno pointed to shared threats facing democracies from the Indo-Pacific to the Mediterranean: authoritarian governments, powers trying to redraw borders by force, and disinformation.
• She framed a stronger, more united Europe as the best answer to those trying to split democracies apart.

Outlook: Expect a sharp protest from China, and more pressure inside Europe to deepen unofficial ties with Taipei.