15th Five-Year Plan offers development opportunities for Taiwan businesses: spokeswoman

The Chinese mainland will continue to support Taiwan businesses in seizing development opportunities in the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030) for greater development, said Zhang Han, spokeswoman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, at a press conference on Wednesday.

Zhang's remarks came in reply to a question about a CommonWealth Magazine survey in Taiwan, which shows that while Taiwan's AI sector is booming, many traditional industries are being squeezed out. "The current industrial landscape in Taiwan features the thriving of one industry and the declining of hundreds of others. The problem of an overly narrow industrial structure is becoming more pronounced, and the fragility of economic development is increasingly evident. Traditional industries are struggling, their room for growth is shrinking, and the income of most residents falls far below the median, with unpaid leave becoming longer. The public in Taiwan is deeply dissatisfied," said Zhang.

Instead of confronting these problems and seeking solutions, the Democratic Progressive Party authorities have repeatedly pushed for cross-Strait decoupling and supply chain disruption, and obstructed industrial specialization and collaboration, said Zhang, adding that such actions will backfire and are utterly foolish.

"The 15th Five-Year Plan of the mainland proposes to build a modernized industrial system and upgrade traditional industries. Traditional industries are highly relevant to people's livelihoods and development. With the strong support of industrial and supply chains and the market, traditional industries can achieve innovative development through intelligent, green, and integrated transformation. We will, as always, actively support cross-Strait industrial cooperation and support Taiwan enterprises, including those in traditional industries, in fully leveraging their strengths, seizing the development opportunities in the 15th Five-Year Plan period, and achieving greater and better development," said Zhang.

15th Five-Year Plan offers development opportunities for Taiwan businesses: spokeswoman

The European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) on Wednesday released a report saying that May 2026 was the second-hottest May ever recorded globally, with average temperatures across both land and ocean surfaces remaining at historically elevated levels.

According to the report, sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific continued to stay above normal during May.

Scientists noted that El Nino conditions are developing and are expected to strengthen over the coming months, potentially influencing weather patterns around the world.

Europe has experienced significant warming during the month. Several countries, including France, the United Kingdom, and Portugal, reported their highest May temperatures on record.

At the same time, rainfall patterns varied considerably across the continent, with some regions receiving above-average precipitation while others remained relatively dry.

Samantha Burgess, Climate Strategy Lead at the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, said the unusually early and intense heatwave across Europe highlights how extreme climate events are increasingly becoming a regular feature of today's climate.

Second-hottest May recorded globally as temperatures remain near highs