Voice of America Chinese Broadcast (October 22, 2026) Russia released American retired teacher Stephen Hubbard on October 21; US Secretary of State Rubio said that without the tens of billions of dollars in aid the United States continues to provide, Ukraine would not exist today as a sovereign country ...

Voice of America Chinese broadcast reported on multiple international and regional hot topics, mainly including Russia releasing American retired teacher Hubbard, who had been detained for more than four years; US Secretary of State Rubio stating that Ukraine would no longer exist without US aid, and that Russia and Ukraine have agreed to hold trilateral technical talks; an oil tanker attack in the Strait of Hormuz impacting oil prices; Austria's Sandoz requesting an EU anti-dumping investigation due to Chinese antibiotic competition; Japan successfully launching a Martian moon probe; the US Department of War completing research security reviews of 30 universities to reduce cooperation with Chinese entities; the 2026 US-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference being held in Virginia; and the US revoking more than 300,000 visas since last year.

Video link:

Full text:

Hello, dear listeners. Welcome to Voice of America Chinese broadcast. I am Unknown. Broadcasting today's program to you from the US capital, Washington. The main contents of today's program are: Russia released American retired teacher Hubbard on October 21. He was previously detained for more than four years on charges of serving as a mercenary for the Ukrainian military. US Secretary of State Rubio said that without billions of dollars in continuous US aid, Ukraine would not be able to exist as a sovereign nation today. Following meetings between the US special envoy and the leaders of both Russia and Ukraine, Russia and Ukraine have agreed to hold technical-level talks among the three parties: the United States, Russia, and Ukraine. Since President Trump took office, the United States has revoked more than 300,000 visas, some of which were canceled because the holders participated in or facilitated birth tourism. For more news content, please stay tuned to Voice of America Chinese broadcast.

At the start of the program, let us first turn to a report from the White House. Regarding American citizen Hubbard, who was recently released from Russia, President Trump mentioned at the White House on October 21 that during his phone call with President Putin, he specifically requested Hubbard's release. Trump also considered that President Xi Jinping of China and Russia have not intervened extensively in Iran, and both China and Russia hope to see the war in Iran resolved. A few days ago, I spoke with Vladimir Putin about resolving his war with Ukraine. By the way, I think we are getting closer and closer to that goal, perhaps the closest we have been so far to reaching a resolution. At that time, I also raised the question of whether he could release Stephen Hubbard, and he agreed. Today, someone met Hubbard in Russia, and he is currently on a flight returning home. Steve Witkoff is accompanying him, and his family is with him as well—his family traveled there specifically to bring him back. President Trump then went on to mention that neither China nor Russia has been overly involved in the Iran issue. Furthermore, whether people like it or not, Russia could have played a much stronger role in the Iran issue, and so could China. As everyone knows, President Xi Jinping visited a week ago; likewise, China could have participated to a greater extent, but currently the engagement from all sides remains relatively low. In fact, both Russia and China want to see this war resolved; therefore, we are communicating with Russia on this matter, and China is involved as well.

Alright, let us now focus on a piece of diplomatic news. On October 21 in India, U.S. Secretary of State Rubio stated that without the billions of dollars in continuous support provided by the United States from the Biden administration through to the Trump administration, Ukraine today would not be able to exist as a sovereign nation. At the same time, he praised the heroic resistance of Ukrainian soldiers. Rubio also revealed that U.S. Special Envoy Witkoff is heading to St. Petersburg, Russia, where he will convey to the Russian side the peace plan proposals discussed during his meeting with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy. He stated that the Donbas issue remains the core disagreement in Russia-Ukraine negotiations. Excuse me, I want to add one point: on this issue, we will no longer take a defensive posture, understand? Because without American aid—including the aid provided during the Trump administration—there would be no Ukraine today; Ukraine would cease to exist as a sovereign country. This is not to say that we should not praise the bravery of Ukrainian fighters, because they have indeed fought very bravely for their country. With the aid received, they resisted a nation far larger than themselves and achieved extraordinary accomplishments. But we must make it very clear that without the billions of dollars in aid provided by the United States to Ukraine, Ukraine would not be here today—aid that began during the Biden administration and has continued under the current administration. I believe that for Ukraine, the primary demand is ensuring its long-term security, making sure that Ukraine will never again be invaded or attacked in the future. Therefore, Steve is adjusting and refining these proposals. A few hours ago, he held a meeting with Zelenskyy. According to the information he provided to me, as well as the meeting briefings I received, my understanding is that this meeting was positive, with no unexpected developments and nothing surprising. Now, he will take these proposals to St. Petersburg to communicate with the Russian side; let us see if some progress can be made. But as I said, these issues are very complex; if this war were that easy to resolve, it would have been resolved long ago.

A U.S. official told VOA that Russia and Ukraine have agreed to hold technical-level talks among Washington, Moscow, and Kyiv following separate meetings between Special Envoy Witkoff and leaders of both Russia and Ukraine. The official revealed that Witkoff and advisor Jared Kushner met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, along with Putin's special investment representative and foreign affairs advisor, in St. Petersburg on Wednesday, October 21, to advance President Donald Trump's efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war. In an emailed statement to VOA, the official said that Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner proposed technical-level talks among the United States, Russia, and Ukraine. Ukraine accepted the idea yesterday in Oslo, and Russia accepted it today in St. Petersburg. The Kremlin indicated on Wednesday its agreement to participate in the trilateral talks, despite multiple rounds of U.S.-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi and Geneva remaining stalled, even as the two sides exchanged hundreds of prisoners of war. During Wednesday's meeting, Witkoff told Putin, "One goal I hope to achieve today is to have an in-depth exchange between us regarding the possibility of restarting trilateral talks among Ukraine, Russia, and the United States." The U.S. special envoy also welcomed Russia's decision to lift diesel export controls, calling it "a very important step you have taken." U.S. Secretary of State Rubio said Wednesday that during the difficult negotiation process, some creative ideas for ending the conflict had been brought forward. He also noted that the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine remains one of the key points of disagreement, adding that progress will depend on concessions from both sides. Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that during the meeting between President Putin and Witkoff in St. Petersburg, they discussed ending the Ukraine war, the recently reached diesel agreement, and the Middle East conflict involving the U.S. and Iran.

Turning now to the situation in the Middle East. At least two oil tankers were hit by projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf within the past 24 hours. Meanwhile, ongoing regional tensions continue to impact global energy prices. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported on Wednesday, October 21, that a tanker was struck by an unknown projectile near the strait, approximately 11 nautical miles west of Bukha, Oman, causing a fire that was later extinguished. A day earlier, a second tanker was hit by an unknown projectile in the Persian Gulf, about 30 nautical miles off Al-Faw, Iraq. Neither attack resulted in casualties. Amid persistent uncertainty and tension in the Middle East, international benchmark Brent crude was priced at $109.40 per barrel on Wednesday, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude stood at $97.72 per barrel, both showing slight declines from Tuesday. Prior to the outbreak of the U.S.-Iran war in late February, Brent and WTI crude were priced at around $70 to $72 per barrel. U.S. President Trump said Tuesday that he expects oil prices to drop once the conflict with Iran ends. Trump did not provide a timeline, but he insisted the conflict would end soon. Speaking at a campaign rally in North Carolina, he said that as soon as the war ends, oil prices will plunge straight down. Pakistan's Army Chief Munir arrived in Tehran on Tuesday, and television footage showed him meeting with Iran's top security official Rezai. Meanwhile, reports indicated that Qatar and Pakistan are attempting to persuade the U.S. and Iran to resume negotiations. When asked about the proposals from Qatar and Pakistan, Secretary of State Rubio acknowledged Qatar's involvement in mediation efforts and confirmed Munir's visit to Tehran while clarifying Washington's position.

Now, let's turn our attention to Europe. Antibiotics and their raw materials produced in China are lower in price; while this reduces procurement costs for Europe's healthcare system, it also puts pressure on the productivity of the European pharmaceutical industry. Sandoz, located in Kundl, Austria, is the last factory in Europe producing penicillin and key active pharmaceutical ingredients. Facing price competition from similar Chinese products, as well as high European energy costs, Sandoz has requested the European Commission to initiate an anti-dumping investigation, a move that could lead the European Union to impose tariff measures on relevant Chinese products. The head of the plant warned that if this plant also stops production, Europe will become even more dependent on antibiotics supplied by China and India. "As the last company in Europe, if we also exit the market, then we will be completely dependent on competitors, and these competitors are in China and India. Therefore, we hope to preserve this factory to ensure we can supply life-saving antibiotics from Kundl to Europe and even the whole world. Looking at the production capacity of this plant, we have the capability to meet all of Europe's demand for antibiotics or penicillin, meaning our capacity exceeds Europe's total demand. We ship from Kundl to 100 different countries, and our finished medicines can supply approximately 250 million patients. In addition, we also sell active pharmaceutical ingredients, through which we can supply another 200 million patients."

Now let's focus on news from Japan. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) successfully launched a rocket carrying a Martian moon probe on Tuesday, October 20, launching a five-year Martian moon exploration program. The goal of the program is to travel to the Martian moon Phobos to collect samples and bring them back to Earth. Currently, both the United States and China have successfully landed probes on Mars, but no country has sent a probe to land on a Martian moon, nor has any country successfully brought back samples from Mars or other moons. On October 20 local time in Japan, the H3 Rocket Launch Vehicle No. 10 developed by JAXA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries was ready at the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture. This rocket carried the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) probe. At 4:41:03 AM, the rocket ignited and launched, successfully sending the probe into its designated orbit. The Martian moon exploration program is a five-year mission led by JAXA and carried out in partnership with five space agencies around the world, including the United States. The plan is to land a robotic probe and a rover on Phobos, the larger and closer of Mars's two small moons. Following the successful launch, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi posted on the X platform, stating her heartfelt wishes for the complete success of this historic feat and looking forward to the smooth achievement of sample returns from the Martian system. Phobos is an irregularly shaped rock resembling a potato, about 22 kilometers in diameter; studying its fragments will help reveal the origin of Martian moons and even satellites of other celestial bodies. The probe weighs 5 tons and is expected to arrive at Mars late next summer, enter an orbit synchronous with Phobos, and then release a rover named Edifix jointly developed by France and Germany. If the mission is successful, dust, soil, and rock samples from Phobos will return to Earth in 2031, with the entire project costing $578 million. Although both the United States and China have successfully explored Mars, no one has previously set foot on Phobos or Deimos, nor has any country successfully brought back samples from Mars or its moons.

In addition, a fighter jet scramble report recently released by the Joint Staff of the Japan Self-Defense Forces shows that in the first half of fiscal year 2026, the number of instances where Chinese and Russian aircraft violated Japan's Air Defense Identification Zone and entered airspace near Japanese territory surged, overwhelming the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, which needed to scramble fighter jets for monitoring and interception. According to a report by USNI News on Tuesday, October 20, between the six months from April to September this year, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force scrambled fighter jets a total of 442 times. In contrast, during the same period in fiscal year 2025, the JASDF's scrambles numbered only 265 times, with a total of 595 scrambles across the entire fiscal year 2025. According to the report published by Japan, approximately 65% of the fighter jet scrambles by the JASDF in the first half of fiscal year 2026 were targeted at Chinese military aircraft, including drones, totaling 285 sorties, while another 34% were targeted at Russian military aircraft, totaling 152 sorties. On Wednesday, the three major stock market indices saw the Dow Jones Industrial Average rise by 0.69%, the S&P 500 rise by 0.58%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite rise by 1.05%. Next, we have reports on defense and immigration issues.

The U.S. Department of War announced on Monday, October 19, the successful completion of an initial research security review of 30 universities across the United States. All of these institutions fully implemented mitigation measures addressing identified partnerships with entities of concern on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) Section 1286 list, resulting in the termination of over 80 partnerships. The Department of War said on Monday that the termination actions taken by these universities partly involved entities of concern included on the list, while others were preventive, involving entities not explicitly listed. The Pentagon's statement did not directly name Chinese entities, but the entities of concern included on the list are primarily located in China. The Section 1286 list was established pursuant to Section 1286 of the FY2019 NDAA to identify foreign research institutions, enterprises, individuals, and talent recruitment programs determined by the U.S. government to pose risks to national security. The updated list released by the Department of War in July this year included 130 foreign academic and research institutions of concern, 88 of which are in China, with the remainder in Russia and Iran. The listed Chinese entities include various military academies and defense technology laboratories, as well as the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shandong University, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Tsinghua University's Center for International Security and Strategy, and others. Beginning in FY2026, the Department of War is prohibited from funding basic research projects involving entities on the list. U.S. academic and research institutions funded by the Pentagon are prohibited from conducting joint research with or utilizing equipment from listed entities. In August this year, the Pentagon requested that 30 U.S. universities review academic, financial, and research ties with foreign institutions and take mitigation measures. On Monday, the Department of War specifically commended seven U.S. universities that proactively cooperated: Oklahoma State University, Pennsylvania State University, University of South Carolina, UT Austin, and Virginia Tech. Joseph Jewell, Assistant Secretary of War for Science and Technology, said in the statement that these academic institutions have gone above and beyond regarding research security, setting a benchmark for domestic research security and deserving high praise. The Pentagon took these measures under close congressional scrutiny. Representative John Moolenaar, a Michigan Republican and Chairman of the House Select Committee on the CCP, who has long called for restricting U.S.-China research cooperation, issued a statement on Monday regarding the Department of War's research security audit results, highly praising the Trump administration and the Pentagon for taking action and working with universities to terminate dozens of dangerous partnerships with Chinese entities. In September last year, the House Select Committee on the CCP published an investigative report titled "The Fox in the Henhouse" (Fox in the Cornerstone), which stated that over the preceding two years, the Pentagon had funded hundreds of research cooperation projects involving Chinese universities and defense-industrial-related institutions. The report concluded that this resulted in billions of dollars in U.S. taxpayer funds flowing toward research activities tied to China's military development. After the Pentagon updated the Section 1286 list in July this year, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of Commerce accused the U.S. of repeatedly generalizing the concept of national security, politicizing, weaponizing, and instrumentalizing scientific research cooperation, and hindering exchanges and cooperation in scientific research between China and the U.S. The spokesperson also stated that China would take necessary measures. Representative Moolenaar, earlier this month, addressed a letter to U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, calling on the Pentagon to further expand the Section 1286 list. The Department of War stated on Monday that it would continue to work with congressional partners, including the House and Senate Armed Services Committees and Appropriations Committees, as well as the House Select Committee on the CCP. The Department of War also said it will continue updating the NDAA Section 1286 list as appropriate and assess U.S. universities that maintain problematic relationships with listed entities.

The 2026 US-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference was held from October 18 to 20 in Virginia, USA. At the defense industry conference hosted by the US-Taiwan Business Council, Zhong Shuming delivered a keynote speech titled 'Secure and Resilient Taiwan'. According to information provided by the US-Taiwan Business Council, Zhong pointed out during the conference that the Taiwan military takes defense and resolute deterrence as its strategic guidance to strengthen self-defense capabilities, establish effective deterrence, and prevent conflict. Its war-preparedness direction focuses on multi-domain denial and resilient defense, with the goal not only of increasing weapons and equipment, but also of establishing denial, combat power preservation, rapid mobilization, and sustainable all-society resilient defense combat capabilities, which are tested through the annual Han Kuang exercises. Zhong mentioned that China's threat to Taiwan is growing day by day, with continuous military actions and gray-zone harassment. Data showed that from January to September 2026, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) military aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ) 849 times, while the navy also had 1,662 warship transits across the median line of the strait. China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels entered Taiwan's outlying island restricted waters 23 times, higher than last year's 18 times. In addition, in June this year, Chinese coast guard vessels also went to the waters off eastern Taiwan for the first time to carry out so-called special law enforcement operations. Zhong pointed out that once China takes military action against Taiwan, the PLA will break through the first island chain and further expand its military presence in the western Pacific. This not only threatens the security of Japan and the Philippines, but also alters the military balance in the Indo-Pacific region, forcing the US to deploy more troops and resources in this region, leading to the deterioration of Indo-Pacific security. The US will also have to make more military deployments and coordinate more with allies, which will pose a threat to Taiwan's security, as well as to the security of the first island chain, maritime transport, and the semiconductor supply chain, impacting not only the security of the US and the entire Indo-Pacific region, but also having a major impact on global economic trade. He said that the Taiwan government is investing more resources to strengthen Taiwan's self-defense capabilities, with next year's overall defense budget reaching $35 billion, accounting to 3.93% of GDP, and that defense spending will be gradually increased in the future, expected to reach 5% of GDP or more by 2030. This aims not only to accelerate arms procurement and domestic production, strengthen combat capabilities, but also to boost the development of the domestic military industry. The direction of military-industrial cooperation between Taiwan and the US includes unmanned systems, AI, and the 'Shield of Taiwan' multi-layer air defense network. Taiwan hopes to strengthen its defense resilience and establish a non-Red Indo-Pacific supply chain through such cooperation. Chen Kuan-ting, a member of the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee of Taiwan's Legislative Yuan and a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator, pointed out during a panel discussion at the conference on Taiwan's strategic environment and future threat assessment that China is gradually normalizing its coercion against Taiwan through military aircraft, coast guard, and official vessel activities. Since 2022, it has established new norms of military activity around Taiwan under various pretexts. Taiwan not only needs a long-term strategy to actively respond to current threats, but should also invest more resources to deal with normalized short-term threats. According to a press release issued by the DPP Representative Office in the US, Chen suggested that in addition to existing defense procurement plans, the Taiwan government could also consider lowering the threshold for defense procurement to allow Taiwan's start-up defense companies more opportunities to participate and develop, thereby cultivating Taiwan's autonomous defense industry capacity. For example, when Taiwan procures military equipment from the US, the delivery of some foreign military sales (FMS) cases is often delayed by several years. Therefore, Taiwan is seeking to acquire the required equipment faster through channels such as direct commercial sales (DCS) with the US, and to expand opportunities for manufacturing in Taiwan and co-production with international partners like the US.

The US Department of State revealed that since last year, the US government has revoked more than 300,000 visas, part of which were revoked because the holders participated in or assisted birth tourism. The White House official account reposted a report from the New York Post on Tuesday, October 20, which cited a State Department official as saying that since President Trump began his second term last year, the US government has revoked more than 300,000 visas because the holders were involved in criminal activities, threatened public safety, or violated immigration regulations, such as suspected fraud or misrepresentation. The official also pointed out that at least 4,000 of these visas were cancelled because foreign nationals holding them participated in or assisted birth tourism. Citing State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott, the report stated that the Trump administration has revoked more than 300,000 visas at a faster rate than any administration in history. In August this year, the US Department of State announced the establishment of a special task force to stop birth tourism, aimed at cracking down on foreigners who travel to the US specifically on visas to give birth in an attempt to obtain US citizenship for their children. A State Department fact sheet said the task force is responsible for reviewing the activities of global visa holders, promoting the revocation of visas for those engaging in or assisting birth tourism, and working to dismantle profit-driven networks.