Taiwan's vice president got a rare European stage despite Beijing's efforts to keep Taiwan out of international events — a small but real win for Taipei, and an irritant for China.

• Hsiao Bi-khim was the guest of honor at a democracy forum on the Italian island of Ventotene, a place known for its anti-authoritarian history.
• She said Taiwanese people have the same right as anyone else to make friends and talk to the world, and that Taiwan's influence matters more than its size.
• She drew a straight line from Russia's invasion of Ukraine to the military and gray-zone pressure Taiwan faces, and called Ukraine's situation a warning.
• Taiwan's answer, she said, is stronger defense, a locked-in role in the global tech supply chain, deeper foreign partnerships, and neither provoking Beijing nor giving in to it.
• The trip itself made the point: 27 hours by plane, road, and ferry to reach a small island off southern Italy.

Outlook: Expect Beijing to protest the appearance, while Taipei keeps hunting for more of these unofficial European openings.