Taiwan's former president Tsai Ing-wen drew a standing ovation at Stanford with a pitch for closer defense-industrial ties between Taiwan and other democracies — a positive signal for Taiwan's diplomatic standing and for its chipmakers.

• Tsai told a Stanford defense and security forum that Taiwan wants to build security-related industrial goods alongside other democracies, leaning on its strong manufacturing base.
• She framed Taiwan as an unavoidable link in advanced chip supply chains, and called for more resilient supply chains built on each partner's strengths.
• The event, run by a student defense platform, was closed to cameras and open to only a few press, underlining how sensitive Taiwan's security diplomacy remains.
• A day earlier she met former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who briefed her on the current US political situation.
• Taiwanese students on campus said the talk matched a sharp rise in Taiwan-related discussion in their own classrooms.

Outlook: Expect Taiwan to keep pushing chip and defense manufacturing partnerships with the US and other democracies as its leverage in those supply chains grows.