In the ancient harbor of Ventotene, where European federalism was once dreamed into being, Taiwan's Vice President and Foreign Minister arrived quietly to sit among democracy's defenders — and Beijing's displeasure followed swiftly. China's formal protests to Italy and the EU reveal the enduring tension between the world's democratic aspirations and the geopolitical weight of a rising power that views such gatherings as provocations. The visit, rare precisely because its rarity reflects how much fear shapes diplomacy, asks a quiet but urgent question of Europe: when democratic values and econo