Good Morning World: 37th Anniversary of June Fourth — Tiananmen Mother Zhang Xianling: Speak the Truth, Refuse to Forget
On the 37th anniversary of the June 4 Tiananmen crackdown, Tiananmen mother Zhang Xianling called for truth and justice amid tightened restrictions by Chinese authorities. The bulletin also summarizes related international responses and major Taiwan and global news including COMPUTEX, water shortages, trade tariff reviews, and the first carbon fee payments.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: June 4, 2026 at 08:50
- 🔍 Collected: June 4, 2026 at 08:59 (9 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: June 13, 2026 at 04:52 (211h 53m after Collected)
Central News
Today marks the 37th anniversary of the June 4 Tiananmen incident. The Beijing pro-democracy movement of 1989 was brutally suppressed by the military from the night of June 3 into June 4. In recent years, Chinese authorities have increasingly tightened their stance toward June Fourth commemorations. In the past, some victims' families were allowed to visit cemeteries under police escort on this day, but this year they were notified that they could not pay respects to relatives.
In a video that appeared on YouTube, 88-year-old Zhang Xianling, one of the "Tiananmen mothers," read a memorial text to the camera, saying that the sacrifice of their loved ones is an indelible wound carved into their hearts and that it is necessary to "speak the truth, refuse to forget, seek justice, and call for conscience."
Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council issued a statement urging Beijing to face the historical facts of the June Fourth incident, to respond to the people's calls for fairness, justice, basic rights, and civic participation, and to promote political reform as soon as possible. U.S. Secretary of State Rubio said that Chinese censorship cannot "erase" the deadly suppression of unarmed protesters in Beijing's Tiananmen Square in 1989, and that "those who sacrificed themselves to defend inalienable rights such as free speech and peaceful assembly will ultimately be vindicated."
COMPUTEX opened and once again reignited interest in artificial intelligence (AI). NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang appeared at the show and visited booths from Pegatron, Delta Electronics, Foxconn and others. NVIDIA said market demand for AI compute far exceeds the total supply currently available, and that NVIDIA needs Taiwan's ecosystem to help scale production to mass levels to supply global AI factories. NVIDIA and TSMC are working together on the COUPE silicon photonics packaging platform and have begun shipping next-generation co-packaged optics (CPO) switches, with plans to expand capacity in the second half of this year. Taiwan stocks surged intraday on the 3rd to 46,552.16 points, closing at 46,459.16 points, both new highs.
This dry season has seen rainfall in major reservoir catchments amount to less than half of historical averages. The Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Water Resources Agency stated that the combined storage in Tainan's Zengwen, Wushantou, and Nanhua reservoirs remains about 72 million tonnes. Since the first rice planting irrigation was completed on May 31, reservoir releases can be conserved, and public water supply still retains about one month of safe storage through the end of June. Regarding when it will rain, the Central Weather Administration warned of high temperatures in the greater Taipei area and Hualien-Taitung valleys today, said significant rainfall is expected on the 5th with Taipei area afternoons needing to guard against heavy rain; rainfall will ease slightly on the 6th and 7th, but from the 8th onward a week of influence from a stationary front and southwest flow will bring heavy to torrential rain to the west and northeast.
The U.S. Department of Commerce is considering invoking Section 301 to levy a 10% tariff on Taiwan and 13 other countries, citing forced labor. Taiwan's U.S.-Taiwan economic working group said that because the U.S. recognizes the parity trade agreement (ART) signed with Taiwan, Taiwan was listed among 14 countries recommended for a lower 10% tariff. Forty-six countries including Japan, South Korea, China, and India were proposed for an additional 12.5% tariff. This announcement is only part of the Section 301 investigation process and final tariff rates have not been decided; Taiwan is confident it can obtain relatively favorable treatment among deficit countries. The Ministry of Economic Affairs expects the U.S. to complete the Section 301 investigation and announce final rates before Section 122 tariff deadlines, and current Section 122 measures will revert to zero at expiration so there will be no stacking of Section 122 and Section 301 tariffs.
"Havel's Bench" consists of two chairs and a round table with a tree growing through the center, symbolizing different positions sitting down to converse as equals. The first was unveiled in Washington, D.C. in 2013 and others have been installed in Hiroshima and Seoul; the 61st worldwide was placed in Taipei's Da'an Forest Park. Visiting Czech Senate President Věra Jourová (韋德齊) attended on the 3rd as a witness and said she was honored to gather everyone on the 90th birthday of Czech former president Václav Havel and proud that the Czech Republic can bring freedom, democracy, solidarity and love to the world. She hoped the work would guide people to sit, talk, exchange ideas, and seek solutions while thinking beyond themselves and caring for others' well-being.
The carbon fee was introduced last year and this is the first year of actual payment. Electricity, gas suppliers, and manufacturers with annual greenhouse gas emissions of 25,000 metric tons or more were required to pay carbon fees by the end of May based on last year's total emissions. The Environmental Protection Department released the first carbon fee revenues: 461 factories paid a total of NT$4.97 billion, with semiconductor manufacturers accounting for more than 40% of the total. The ministry plans to allocate about NT$2 billion to subsidize businesses and local governments for decarbonization and adaptation studies and another NT$500 million to provide loan subsidies for companies undertaking decarbonization.
After the U.S.-China summit, U.S. policy toward Taiwan has drawn close attention. Secretary of State Rubio told a congressional hearing on the 2nd that U.S. policy toward Taiwan has not changed. He said China clearly hoped for changes in U.S. phrasing, but the U.S. has not altered its stance. He also said the US arms sale to Taiwan worth US$14 billion remains under review. Rubio emphasized that the U.S. hopes to see the maintenance of the status quo, calling it "our policy," and noted the delicate balance involved. Yesterday, 14 Chinese sorties crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, intruding into Taiwan's central and southwestern airspace. The military also released footage showing the navy's Zheng He vessel monitoring the PLA ship Jingdezheng in the southwestern sea area and F-16Vs monitoring Chinese Wing Loong 10 unmanned aerial vehicles.
South Korea's local elections took place on the 3rd, the first nationwide vote since Lee Jae-myung's government took office one year ago. The opposition People Power Party framed the election as a referendum on the government, while the ruling Democratic Party focused on judging "forces of internal disorder," targeting the opposition. On voting day a controversy erupted over a shortage of ballots in Seoul, and some locations remained open past 9 p.m., causing public dissatisfaction. The People Power Party vowed to pursue accountability. The National Election Commission held a press conference to apologize, saying the number of ballots prepared was based on recent turnout estimates, but actual voter numbers exceeded expectations and 14 polling places experienced shortages.
Kuwaiti authorities reported that Iran struck a passenger terminal at Kuwait International Airport on the 3rd, injuring several people and temporarily halting air traffic. Bahrain and the U.S. also said they intercepted a wave of Iranian attacks targeting Bahrain. Despite sporadic attacks, the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran has largely held. Former U.S. President (as reported) Trump said Iran has agreed not to possess nuclear weapons and expressed a desire to meet Iran's supreme leader. The OECD lowered its 2026 growth forecast and warned that war has weakened global growth prospects; if an effective ceasefire is not reached by 2027, the impact will be more severe.
Google's AI-generated summaries in search results can reduce clicks to original web pages, lowering publishers' traffic and ad revenue. Publishers have argued that AI models are using their content without compensation. In response, the UK's Competition and Markets Authority ordered Google to allow UK site owners to opt out of having their content used by AI search features and to ensure clear links and source attribution in AI-generated search results. Google responded that it will begin testing new control tools that let site owners manage how their links and content are presented in generative AI search features.
The following platforms publish "Good Morning World" simultaneously at 8:00 a.m. to provide the day's essential news summary: e-newsletter, Facebook, Instagram Stories, and YouTube.
Stand with choice and facts; every contribution helps safeguard press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency's "One-Hand News" app to get the latest updates instantly.
Text, images and audio-visual material on this site may not be reproduced, broadcast or transmitted publicly without authorization.
Today marks the 37th anniversary of the June 4 Tiananmen incident. The Beijing pro-democracy movement of 1989 was brutally suppressed by the military from the night of June 3 into June 4. In recent years, Chinese authorities have increasingly tightened their stance toward June Fourth commemorations. In the past, some victims' families were allowed to visit cemeteries under police escort on this day, but this year they were notified that they could not pay respects to relatives.
In a video that appeared on YouTube, 88-year-old Zhang Xianling, one of the "Tiananmen mothers," read a memorial text to the camera, saying that the sacrifice of their loved ones is an indelible wound carved into their hearts and that it is necessary to "speak the truth, refuse to forget, seek justice, and call for conscience."
Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council issued a statement urging Beijing to face the historical facts of the June Fourth incident, to respond to the people's calls for fairness, justice, basic rights, and civic participation, and to promote political reform as soon as possible. U.S. Secretary of State Rubio said that Chinese censorship cannot "erase" the deadly suppression of unarmed protesters in Beijing's Tiananmen Square in 1989, and that "those who sacrificed themselves to defend inalienable rights such as free speech and peaceful assembly will ultimately be vindicated."
COMPUTEX opened and once again reignited interest in artificial intelligence (AI). NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang appeared at the show and visited booths from Pegatron, Delta Electronics, Foxconn and others. NVIDIA said market demand for AI compute far exceeds the total supply currently available, and that NVIDIA needs Taiwan's ecosystem to help scale production to mass levels to supply global AI factories. NVIDIA and TSMC are working together on the COUPE silicon photonics packaging platform and have begun shipping next-generation co-packaged optics (CPO) switches, with plans to expand capacity in the second half of this year. Taiwan stocks surged intraday on the 3rd to 46,552.16 points, closing at 46,459.16 points, both new highs.
This dry season has seen rainfall in major reservoir catchments amount to less than half of historical averages. The Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Water Resources Agency stated that the combined storage in Tainan's Zengwen, Wushantou, and Nanhua reservoirs remains about 72 million tonnes. Since the first rice planting irrigation was completed on May 31, reservoir releases can be conserved, and public water supply still retains about one month of safe storage through the end of June. Regarding when it will rain, the Central Weather Administration warned of high temperatures in the greater Taipei area and Hualien-Taitung valleys today, said significant rainfall is expected on the 5th with Taipei area afternoons needing to guard against heavy rain; rainfall will ease slightly on the 6th and 7th, but from the 8th onward a week of influence from a stationary front and southwest flow will bring heavy to torrential rain to the west and northeast.
The U.S. Department of Commerce is considering invoking Section 301 to levy a 10% tariff on Taiwan and 13 other countries, citing forced labor. Taiwan's U.S.-Taiwan economic working group said that because the U.S. recognizes the parity trade agreement (ART) signed with Taiwan, Taiwan was listed among 14 countries recommended for a lower 10% tariff. Forty-six countries including Japan, South Korea, China, and India were proposed for an additional 12.5% tariff. This announcement is only part of the Section 301 investigation process and final tariff rates have not been decided; Taiwan is confident it can obtain relatively favorable treatment among deficit countries. The Ministry of Economic Affairs expects the U.S. to complete the Section 301 investigation and announce final rates before Section 122 tariff deadlines, and current Section 122 measures will revert to zero at expiration so there will be no stacking of Section 122 and Section 301 tariffs.
"Havel's Bench" consists of two chairs and a round table with a tree growing through the center, symbolizing different positions sitting down to converse as equals. The first was unveiled in Washington, D.C. in 2013 and others have been installed in Hiroshima and Seoul; the 61st worldwide was placed in Taipei's Da'an Forest Park. Visiting Czech Senate President Věra Jourová (韋德齊) attended on the 3rd as a witness and said she was honored to gather everyone on the 90th birthday of Czech former president Václav Havel and proud that the Czech Republic can bring freedom, democracy, solidarity and love to the world. She hoped the work would guide people to sit, talk, exchange ideas, and seek solutions while thinking beyond themselves and caring for others' well-being.
The carbon fee was introduced last year and this is the first year of actual payment. Electricity, gas suppliers, and manufacturers with annual greenhouse gas emissions of 25,000 metric tons or more were required to pay carbon fees by the end of May based on last year's total emissions. The Environmental Protection Department released the first carbon fee revenues: 461 factories paid a total of NT$4.97 billion, with semiconductor manufacturers accounting for more than 40% of the total. The ministry plans to allocate about NT$2 billion to subsidize businesses and local governments for decarbonization and adaptation studies and another NT$500 million to provide loan subsidies for companies undertaking decarbonization.
After the U.S.-China summit, U.S. policy toward Taiwan has drawn close attention. Secretary of State Rubio told a congressional hearing on the 2nd that U.S. policy toward Taiwan has not changed. He said China clearly hoped for changes in U.S. phrasing, but the U.S. has not altered its stance. He also said the US arms sale to Taiwan worth US$14 billion remains under review. Rubio emphasized that the U.S. hopes to see the maintenance of the status quo, calling it "our policy," and noted the delicate balance involved. Yesterday, 14 Chinese sorties crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, intruding into Taiwan's central and southwestern airspace. The military also released footage showing the navy's Zheng He vessel monitoring the PLA ship Jingdezheng in the southwestern sea area and F-16Vs monitoring Chinese Wing Loong 10 unmanned aerial vehicles.
South Korea's local elections took place on the 3rd, the first nationwide vote since Lee Jae-myung's government took office one year ago. The opposition People Power Party framed the election as a referendum on the government, while the ruling Democratic Party focused on judging "forces of internal disorder," targeting the opposition. On voting day a controversy erupted over a shortage of ballots in Seoul, and some locations remained open past 9 p.m., causing public dissatisfaction. The People Power Party vowed to pursue accountability. The National Election Commission held a press conference to apologize, saying the number of ballots prepared was based on recent turnout estimates, but actual voter numbers exceeded expectations and 14 polling places experienced shortages.
Kuwaiti authorities reported that Iran struck a passenger terminal at Kuwait International Airport on the 3rd, injuring several people and temporarily halting air traffic. Bahrain and the U.S. also said they intercepted a wave of Iranian attacks targeting Bahrain. Despite sporadic attacks, the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran has largely held. Former U.S. President (as reported) Trump said Iran has agreed not to possess nuclear weapons and expressed a desire to meet Iran's supreme leader. The OECD lowered its 2026 growth forecast and warned that war has weakened global growth prospects; if an effective ceasefire is not reached by 2027, the impact will be more severe.
Google's AI-generated summaries in search results can reduce clicks to original web pages, lowering publishers' traffic and ad revenue. Publishers have argued that AI models are using their content without compensation. In response, the UK's Competition and Markets Authority ordered Google to allow UK site owners to opt out of having their content used by AI search features and to ensure clear links and source attribution in AI-generated search results. Google responded that it will begin testing new control tools that let site owners manage how their links and content are presented in generative AI search features.
The following platforms publish "Good Morning World" simultaneously at 8:00 a.m. to provide the day's essential news summary: e-newsletter, Facebook, Instagram Stories, and YouTube.
Stand with choice and facts; every contribution helps safeguard press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency's "One-Hand News" app to get the latest updates instantly.
Text, images and audio-visual material on this site may not be reproduced, broadcast or transmitted publicly without authorization.
FAQ
Why were Tiananmen commemorations restricted this year?
Chinese authorities have tightened controls citing social stability and political management, resulting in limited access for families to visit graves and hold public commemorations.
What did NVIDIA emphasize at COMPUTEX?
NVIDIA highlighted that AI compute demand far exceeds supply and stressed the need to work with Taiwan's ecosystem to scale production to mass volumes.
How long will Taiwan's reservoirs last?
At the time of reporting, reservoirs in Tainan held about 72 million tonnes combined, securing roughly one month of public water supply through the end of June.
How might the US Section 301 review affect Taiwan?
The US proposed additional tariffs on some countries citing forced labor; Taiwan is listed among 14 countries recommended for a lower 10% rate, but final rates are not decided.
How will first carbon fee revenues be used?
The environment ministry plans to allocate about NT$2 billion for business and local government decarbonization studies and NT$500 million as loan subsidies for corporate decarbonization.