Taiwan pushed its business case directly into an Australian state parliament for the first time, a small but positive step for two-way trade and investment.

• Six Taiwanese firms — including Advantech, Delta Electronics, Synnex, China Airlines and a solar-energy company — met Victorian ministers and lawmakers from both major parties.
• Victoria's jobs and industry minister Melissa Horne said Taiwanese business fits the state's growth plans, naming aviation, IT, data-centre supply chains and food as areas to expand.
• Support for Taiwanese companies in Victoria crosses party lines, with both government and opposition members backing closer ties.
• Victoria will use its Invest Victoria agency as a single point of contact to cut red tape for Taiwanese firms setting up there.
• Taiwan's aim is to move the relationship beyond selling goods and into two-way investment, technology tie-ups and deeper supply-chain links.

Outlook: Expect more Taiwanese companies to look at Australia for long-term investment, with Melbourne's Taiwan office pushing to turn these parliament contacts into actual deals.