Taiwanese expats in Vancouver staged a car-formation rally backing Taiwan's bid to join the United Nations — a symbolic win for Taiwan's visibility, though Beijing's veto keeps actual membership off the table.

• Forty-five cars, each flying a Republic of China flag, parked in a Richmond lot to spell out "TW" for drone cameras.
• The stunt was timed to the 81st UN General Assembly, which opens in New York on September 8.
• Organizers leaned on Taiwan's tech story, arguing its chip industry props up the global economy and earns it a seat.
• Taiwan's Vancouver office pitched green energy and gender equality as areas where Taiwan already matches UN goals.
• This year's General Assembly theme is inclusion — "leaving no one behind" — which supporters say should cover Taiwan's 23.5 million people.

Outlook: Expect more "UN for Taiwan" events through the general debate later this month, but no change in Taiwan's excluded status.