China's Annual Straits Forum Concludes - June 15, 2026
China's annual Straits Forum concluded on Sunday in Xiamen, where Taiwanese and Chinese businesses signed agricultural trade deals that some view as economic cooperation while others as potential political leverage. Taiwan’s top national security body has unveiled a new platform for the public to report information on China, but experts say verifying the accuracy of submitted information remains a major challenge. And the US and Iran are set to sign a peace deal, reopening the Strait of Hormuz to oil transports and promising global economic relief. Plus: - The leaders of Japan and the UK pledged closer cooperation in technology, green energy and defense following talks in London. - France's Schneider Electric announces plans to partner with Taiwanese manufacturing giant Foxconn to develop next-generation AI data centers. - A traditional Indigenous Tao canoe has departed from Orchid Island on a journey to Batanes in the Philippines, reconnecting related communities separated by the ocean.
