Taiwan is pushing to deepen ties with Europe on security and trade, a positive for Taiwan's international standing but a sign that China's pressure to isolate the island is intensifying.

• Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim, in an interview with Sky News, said her recent trip to Europe showed Taiwan wants to be a partner on global problems like public health, climate disasters, and fraud.
• Taiwan and European countries face the same playbook of disinformation, political warfare, and gray-zone threats, and many Europeans now see China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran using the same tactics.
• China used political and economic pressure to push the European Commission out of a European freedom and democracy forum, which Hsiao called deeply regrettable.
• Taiwanese companies are expanding investment in Europe across chips, wafers, energy, electronics, car parts, and the wider tech supply chain, and Europe remains Taiwan's biggest source of foreign investment.
• Taiwan has survived 37 years of martial law and exclusion from the UN, and now sees itself as an essential link in the global tech supply chain.

Outlook: Expect Taiwan to keep courting European governments and businesses, while China keeps leaning on European institutions to shut Taiwan out.