Taiwan's diplomatic push in Europe is paying off, with more than 20 Italian lawmakers turning out for Taiwan's National Day reception in Rome — a positive sign for Taipei's unofficial ties.

• Italy's parliamentary Taiwan friendship group chair Lucio Malan and Senate deputy speaker Gian Marco Centinaio led a large cross-party turnout.
• Malan sang a Chinese-language classic on stage, and praised Taiwan's shift from military rule to full democracy next to a powerful, pushy neighbor.
• Taiwan's representative in Rome talked up a booming economy, with growth this year running above 11% on the back of AI demand for chips, packaging, memory and related gear.
• Both sides pointed to a good fit between Italian machinery, materials and design and Taiwan's tech, with semiconductors, AI, smart manufacturing and energy flagged for deeper work.
• Italy also passed a law this year protecting borrowed foreign artifacts from seizure, opening the door to Taiwanese cultural exhibits there.

Outlook: Expect more Italian parliamentary delegations to Taipei and early talks on chip and AI cooperation, with Beijing likely to object.