Taiwan's vice president spoke at a democracy forum in Italy — a diplomatic win for Taipei, undercut by the EU's executive arm backing away under Chinese pressure.

• Hsiao Bi-khim was the guest of honor at a freedom and democracy forum on the Italian island of Ventotene, speaking on resisting authoritarian rule from the Indo-Pacific to the Mediterranean.
• The European Parliament invited her and stood by it, with Vice-President Pina Picierno saying China has no right to decide who visits Europe — and accepting an invitation to visit Taiwan.
• The European Commission, a co-organizer, quietly pulled out once it learned she would speak, and had the EU logo stripped from the event program.
• The Commission restated its commitment to the "one China" policy and said it neither organized nor hosted the event; China had lodged formal protests with Rome and Brussels.
• The retreat is read as a signal that pressuring Brussels works, which likely invites more of it — and the Commission's consensus rules mean a single objecting member state can stall any response.

Outlook: Expect Beijing to keep leaning on EU institutions, with the Parliament pushing closer to Taiwan while the Commission holds back.