Good Morning World: Trump Praises Trade Achievements After China Trip, Makes No Commitments on Taiwan

Central News Agency Message

U.S. President Trump held his final round of talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the 15th. Trump stated that neither side wants Iran to have nuclear weapons and "hopes the [Hormuz] Strait remains open." He praised the significant economic achievements of his trip and claimed China agreed to buy U.S. oil; however, the Chinese Foreign Ministry did not confirm this, only stating that China is willing to jointly maintain global energy security and the stability of production and supply chains. Additionally, on his way back to the U.S. on Air Force One, Trump told reporters he had made no commitments to Xi Jinping on the Taiwan issue and said he would make a decision on the $14 billion arms sale to Taiwan "in the near future." Trump's visit to China was marked by a series of incidents, including a White House aide being knocked down and trampled by a group of Chinese reporters during the Trump-Xi meeting, Secret Service personnel being denied entry to the Temple of Heaven over firearm issues, and the accompanying press corps being blocked from joining the presidential motorcade as Trump left the Temple of Heaven. To prevent data from being hacked, Trump gave up his social media addiction and did not use his personal phone while in Beijing. When U.S. personnel left China, they threw disposable phones, delegation badges, and other items into a trash can under the boarding stairs to ensure that no items from China were brought onto Air Force One. (Read full report)

U.S. President Trump concluded his visit to China on the 15th. Experts pointed out that although he and Chinese President Xi Jinping have differences on issues such as Taiwan and trade, the posture they presented during their meeting indicates that both sides hope this competition will lean more towards friendship than confrontation. Washington framed the Trump-Xi meeting on the 14th as a restart of trade relations, while Beijing saw it as the beginning of establishing "strategic stability," showing that the two sides still have major differences in their views on U.S.-China relations. Analysts also pointed out that Beijing might use Trump's invitation for Xi Jinping to visit in September as leverage against the arms sale to Taiwan. Scholar Chang Wu-eh said, "The Taiwan issue is the core of China's core interests" and will not be a bargaining chip between Beijing and Washington; what Beijing wants when discussing the Taiwan issue is "clear bottom lines, avoiding misjudgment, and managing differences." (Read full report)

The Legislative Yuan's party caucuses agreed on the 15th to invite the Premier to present a special report on the preparation of the special military procurement budget on the afternoon of the 19th. If approved by the Legislative Yuan, the Executive Yuan will send the special budget to the Legislative Yuan before noon on the 20th, and the legislature will then invite the Premier and others for a report and questioning in the afternoon. After the Q&A, it will be sent for review. In addition, the current session of the Legislative Yuan was originally scheduled to end on May 31, but with the numerical advantage of the KMT and TPP, the legislature passed the TPP caucus's proposal to extend the session to August 31. (Read full report)

Following Kaohsiung City, Taipei, New Taipei, and Taichung also imposed fines and business suspension penalties on the 15th on cosmetic surgery clinics suspected of illegal secret filming and violating patient privacy. New Taipei City fined three clinics of the i-LADY group in Xinzhuang, Linkou, and Yonghe NT$500,000 each and ordered them to suspend business for 6 months. The Health Bureau said that after completing evidence collection, it will also heavily fine the i-LADY Banqiao branch and the Dr-Shine Clinic. The Taipei City Department of Health ordered the i-LADY Daan and Nanjing branches to suspend business for 6 months and fined them a total of NT$1.25 million. The Dr-Shine Clinic's Zhongxiao branch was fined NT$500,000 and ordered to immediately suspend business for 6 months. The Taichung City Government found that two branches of the Saint Eir Clinic in Taichung illegally installed micro pinhole cameras in treatment areas, and the Dr-Shine Clinic secretly recorded medical images of patients without consent. Each was fined NT$500,000 according to the law and ordered to suspend business for 6 months starting in June. A breast surgery hospital in Kaohsiung's Zuoying District was also accused by the public of secretly filming patients' privacy. The Health Bureau stated that no hidden recording equipment was found in the operating room, but a surveillance camera was installed in the mammography room. The hospital has been ordered to remove it, and the entire case has been transferred to the police and prosecutors for clarification. (Read full report)

Samsung Electronics' union in South Korea was dissatisfied that performance bonuses were far lower than those of competitor SK Hynix, and labor-management negotiations broke down on the 13th. The union stated on the 15th that even if the company proposes to unconditionally resume wage negotiations, it will still lead more than 50,000 employees in an 18-day strike on the 21st. The market is worried that Samsung may not be able to fulfill its supply commitments. As soon as the news came out, Samsung's stock price plummeted, at one point falling by 9.3% during trading. Samsung executives urged the union to restart negotiations and also apologized to the public and the government for the disturbances caused by the labor dispute, promising to negotiate with an open attitude and continue to work towards an agreement. (Read full report)

The Junior High School Comprehensive Assessment Program, which affects the educational advancement of more than 180,000 students, will be held today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration stated that from the 16th to the 18th, there will be brief showers in the eastern region, and localized brief thundershowers in the afternoon in the southern region and mountainous areas south of Hsinchu. High temperatures in the eastern half will be around 26 to 29 degrees Celsius, and in the western half 29 to 33 degrees, with low temperatures roughly between 21 to 25 degrees. The Ministry of Education reminded candidates to eat and sleep well during the final sprint, maintain a calm mind, and perform in their most stable state. (Read full report)

Japan's measles epidemic has been rapidly heating up this year. As of the 14th, the cumulative number of patients in Tokyo has reached 239, a new high in the past 10 years. The cumulative number of cases nationwide is 462, more than 4.3 times the same period last year. In response to the measles epidemic, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government announced that it will implement "emergency vaccinations" for people who have had contact with patients within the past 72 hours, to be administered free of charge at designated medical institutions in Tokyo starting from the 18th. (Read full report)

A Hantavirus outbreak occurred on the Dutch luxury cruise ship "Hondius," and it is the rare "Andes type" that can be transmitted from person to person. The cruise ship's passengers come from 23 countries around the world, and their movements are being closely watched internationally. CDC Director-General Lo Yi-chun stated on the 15th that on the 13th, they were notified that a New Zealand passenger who had been on the "Hondius" in April was currently in Taiwan. They immediately contacted and arranged for medical treatment, testing, and hospital observation. The current test result is negative, meaning "the virus was not brought to Taiwan," and there is no community risk, but the next week is a critical period. Lo Yi-chun added that after contacting the WHO, it has been confirmed that no other passengers from this cruise ship are in Taiwan. (Read full report)

The prestigious American comic book awards, the "Eisner Awards," announced their 2026 nomination list. Taiwanese comic artist Chang Sheng was nominated for both Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia and Best Writer/Artist for his work "Yan Tie-hua," becoming the first Taiwanese comic artist to be nominated for two Eisner Awards. Chang Sheng told a Central News Agency reporter that the significance for Taiwanese comics is that this is the beginning of being seen. "Taiwan still has a lot of creative energy, and we can let them know that this is great." "Yan Tie-hua" tells the story of the sole survivor of a family massacre who becomes a Beijing opera actress, wearing traditional costumes and magnificent face paint.