Taiwan marked its national day with a message aimed squarely at Beijing — framed as positive for Taiwan's international standing, but with a warning attached.

• Overseas Taiwanese business leader Hsiung Chiang-sheng told the national day crowd in Taipei that without a state, democratic rights disappear, and that Taiwanese at home and abroad must stay united.
• Taiwan's standing has risen with the semiconductor and AI boom, which has lifted its economic clout and global attention.
• President Lai Ching-te laid out plans for an "AI new ten major projects" push, targeting AI, biotech, and defense and aerospace to pull global talent and money into Taiwan.
• Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim visited Europe twice in a year, pitching Taiwan as a reliable partner in an unstable world.
• Overseas Taiwanese business groups are pushing for Taiwan to join the CPTPP trade pact and helped fund relief after the Hualien lake burst flooding.

Outlook: Expect more Taipei diplomacy and trade-bloc lobbying, with the AI and chip industry as the main lever.