VOA Today's Focus (September 29, 2026) President Trump Denies Asking Xi Jinping Whether He Intended to Buy American Weapons
This episode mainly reports on the latest developments and reactions following the US-China summit, including the announcement of reciprocal tariff reduction lists totaling $60 billion and the extension of the trade truce until January of next year. US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns revealed that Trump had asked Xi Jinping if he was interested in purchasing US weapons; Trump denied this but discussed the Taiwan issue. Bipartisan members of the US Congress expressed mixed views on the outcomes of the Trump-Xi meeting and the high-level reception. British police arrested five British citizens suspected of attempting to attack the US Air Force base at Fairford. Additionally, giant pandas Pingping and Fushuang arrived in Atlanta to begin their residency.
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Welcome to VOA Today's Focus for September 28. I am Fan Dongning, reporting live from Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. Every day, we take 15 minutes to help you quickly grasp the latest developments in the US and around the world. Here are today's headline news. President Trump stated that the US and Iran are expected to hold more talks this week, and the conflict will end soon. The US and China announced lists of products for reciprocal tariff reductions, totaling $60 billion, and the trade truce has been extended until January of next year. Following the US-China summit, officials from the US and Taiwan separately emphasized that US policy toward Taiwan has not changed.
Please turn your attention to the situation in Iran. President Trump stated that US and Iranian negotiators are expected to hold more talks this week. Previously, Iran proposed a seven-day ceasefire and stated that if the US meets relevant conditions, Iran is willing to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume nuclear negotiations. President Trump had initially rejected Iran's latest proposal over the weekend, but he told the media on Sunday that he expects US and Iranian negotiators to hold more talks this week. Meanwhile, the US Central Command denied on Monday the claim that Iran controls the Strait of Hormuz, stating that thousands of vessels have passed through the strait in the past few months, and over 1 billion barrels of oil have been transported through it.
The US and China announced on Monday lists of goods for which both sides have agreed to reduce tariffs, with a total value of $60 billion. This is the latest progress in economic and trade cooperation between the US and China following the summit between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington last week. According to information released by the White House, this tariff reduction measure will involve goods of reciprocal value of approximately $30 billion from each country. The US listed 77 categories of Chinese goods, including fireworks, toys, kitchenware, microwaves, Christmas decorations, and soccer balls, while the US goods for which China will reduce tariffs include agricultural products, coal, timber, medical equipment, and hair care products. The White House stated that both sides will determine the specific tax rates for each category of goods. US Trade Representative Greer stated that for the US, this will open up more favorable market access for approximately 30% of US exports to China, while also benefiting American consumers. In addition, the US and China agreed to extend the trade truce, originally scheduled to expire in November, until January of next year.
After seeing off President Xi Jinping and his wife, President Trump stated on his Truth Social platform that this meeting was one of friendship, strength, and success for both the United States and China. He will travel to China in November to meet with Xi Jinping again, and the two are certain to meet once more during the G20 summit to be held in Miami in December.
U.S. Ambassador to China Terry Branstad revealed on a Fox News program on Sunday that during his talks with Xi Jinping, President Trump had asked whether he was interested in purchasing American weapons. Ambassador Branstad did not specify when this conversation took place, nor did he disclose how Xi Jinping responded. Ambassador Branstad also stated that Trump's position of support for Taiwan has not changed, and noted that President Trump has approved $11 billion in arms sales to Taiwan. He said that the United States continues to adhere to the one-China policy, while supporting the Taiwan Relations Act, the three joint communiqués, and the six assurances. In addition, Branstad revealed that President Trump also expressed to Xi Jinping his concerns regarding China providing intelligence, drone components, or military equipment to Iran, and stated that the U.S. side will continue to monitor this issue. Following the summit, both sides also agreed to strengthen communication in the field of artificial intelligence and to continue negotiations on the supply of rare earths and other critical minerals.
When President Trump was announcing a steel mill investment project in the Oval Office at the White House on Monday, the media asked him about Ambassador Branstad's interview, in which he said that President Trump had mentioned selling arms to China to Xi Jinping. President Trump's response was: In the Fox News Sunday program, Ambassador Branstad stated that you had proposed to President Xi Jinping that the United States would sell military equipment to China. Is this statement accurate? Did you indeed make such a suggestion? Sell to China. Are you talking about selling to Taiwan? No, to China, that is what he said. I have never heard of this; I will have to ask him. Are you saying we are going to sell to China? Actually, they might very well want to buy, because our equipment is indeed better than theirs, so this might be a good idea, but we have not discussed this matter. What they might have been discussing at the time was Taiwan; I think he must have been referring to Taiwan.
President Trump confirmed that he and Chinese President Xi Jinping had discussed the Taiwan issue during their talks at the White House, but the two sides did not spend much time discussing it. Meanwhile, U.S. State Department spokesperson Robert Palladino emphasized in an interview with Voice of America after the U.S.-China summit that U.S. policy toward Taiwan has not changed. According to the Chinese official press release after the summit, Xi Jinping hoped that the U.S. side would adhere to its position of opposing Taiwan independence and handle the Taiwan issue cautiously. Taipei condemned Beijing's statement. Mr. Palladino, what kind of exchange did President Trump have with President Xi Jinping on the Taiwan issue? And has U.S. policy toward Taiwan changed? In this regard, there is only one sentence: U.S. policy toward Taiwan remains unchanged. The United States reiterates its commitment to peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region and the Taiwan Strait, and the U.S. opposes any unilateral change to the status quo by either side. We will continue to ensure a free, open, peaceful, and stable Asia-Pacific region.
After Chinese President Xi Jinping concluded his state visit to the United States and left Washington, President Trump posted a 15-second video on his Truth Social platform with the theme of opposing communism. In the video, President Trump's voice declares that the United States will defeat communism, socialism, and Marxism, and emphasizes that the United States will never be a communist country. The official White House X account also retweeted this video. The release of this video came just as President Trump and President Xi Jinping had concluded the U.S.-China summit held in Washington. The two sides had previously held talks on issues such as trade, the economy, and U.S.-China relations, and agreed to continue maintaining high-level contact.
Following the meeting between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House, bipartisan lawmakers in the U.S. Congress have responded successively. Within the Republican Party, while there has been questioning regarding the high-profile reception, some lawmakers also believe that maintaining high-level communication between the U.S. and China is of significant importance. Now let's cross live to VOA reporter Xu Xiangjun to give us a further introduction. North Carolina Republican Senator Thom Tillis said in an interview with CBS on Thursday night that he questioned President Trump for arranging a state banquet and a red-carpet welcome for Xi Jinping. He said he was concerned that the Trump administration spends more time dealing with authoritarian leaders and less time with leaders of democratic nations. Meanwhile, Montana Republican Senator Steve Daines holds a relatively positive attitude toward the Trump-Xi summit. In a media interview on September 24, he stated that the U.S. and China are the world's two largest economies, the two largest military powers, and also the two most important countries in the field of artificial intelligence. Therefore, he believes that an important outcome of this leadership summit is demonstrating the stability of U.S.-China relations.
Tillis raised several specific concerns. First is China's human rights record, particularly the situation of the Uyghurs. Second is China's espionage and intelligence capabilities, including what he described as China's alleged ability to access U.S. voter data. Third is Taiwan, with Tillis questioning why the Trump administration has not yet advanced the approved arms sales to Taiwan. Just a day before Xi's visit, Tillis and Democratic Senator [Name adjusted/kept context equivalent] wrote to President Trump demanding that the administration push forward approximately $14 billion in arms sales to Taiwan. They believe these weapons should not become bargaining chips in U.S.-China negotiations. The fourth point is the issue of Iran. Tillis mentioned reports that China has provided information to Iran, which was used to target U.S. military assets, and stated that he hopes Trump will raise this issue directly with Xi.
On the other hand, Senator Daines believes that the primary need right now is to see stability maintained in U.S.-China relations. He said that the two countries account for about 42% of global GDP and possess the world's largest economies and military powers respectively. Therefore, he described the U.S.-China relationship as "too big to fail." He also stated that Trump showing respect to Xi is a matter of diplomatic reciprocity, since President Trump was also treated with courtesy by the Chinese side when he visited Beijing this May. Senator Daines believes that even with competition and differences, both sides need to maintain communication channels. He said that maintaining respect in public helps foster an atmosphere for continued negotiations, while specific issues such as trade, artificial intelligence, and Iran can continue to be handled through quieter diplomatic channels.
On September 24, 19 Democratic senators issued a joint statement, including Senate Foreign Relations Committee ranking member Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Tim Kaine, and others. They believe that U.S.-China diplomacy remains important to avoid conflict, but the publicly announced outcomes of this summit have not yet met their expectations. Regarding the Taiwan issue, they demanded that the administration implement the Taiwan security assistance and arms sales already approved by Congress. On the Iran issue, they believe the Trump administration should hold China accountable for Chinese companies allegedly supporting Iran and backing issues that may be linked to attacks on U.S. service members.
British police arrested five British citizens after discovering explosives near an air base used by the U.S. military and assisting U.S. strategic bombers. President Trump praised the actions of British law enforcement and the cooperation between the UK and the U.S., stating that these men attempted to cause major damage to RAF Fairford. British authorities have currently granted the five men bail awaiting trial, and the investigation is ongoing. London police received a report on Sunday that three suspicious vehicles appeared to be heading toward RAF Fairford. This base is used by the U.S. Air Force to strike Iranian missile bases. Iran denied any connection to this suspected attack, but the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stated that any base used to launch attacks against Iran is a legitimate target. U.S. President Donald Trump praised the personnel involved in the arrest. British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting expressed similar sentiments. Police did not release the names of the suspects, stating that the men are all British citizens from London, in their 20s, and were arrested on suspicion of preparing terrorist activities. This base holds significant strategic importance for the U.S. Air Force; RAF Fairford features long runways capable of accommodating B-1 and B-52 heavy bombers. The U.S. has launched attacks from this base during the Gulf War, the 2003 Iraq War, and the conflict with Iran this year. In February of this year, the UK initially rejected Trump's request to use RAF Fairford to strike Iranian targets, but then-British Prime Minister Keir Starmer changed his stance a few days later.
Giant pandas Ping Ping and Fu Shuang boarded a dedicated FedEx panda flight on Sunday, flying from Chengdu to Atlanta to begin a 10-year residency at Zoo Atlanta. Chinese President Xi Jinping announced last Thursday during a welcoming ceremony hosted by President Trump that the two giant pandas would arrive in the U.S. within days. Ping Ping and Fu Shuang are currently housed in the biosafety area of the zoo's newly built giant panda pavilion, undergoing approximately one month of routine quarantine, and will not meet visitors temporarily. The zoo has not yet announced the date of their official public debut. Zoo Atlanta and the China Wildlife Conservation Association announced this news in April. Xi's choice to preview the arrival time of the pandas during his summit with President Trump also gave this project, originally centered on animal conservation and cooperation, a more prominent diplomatic symbolic meaning.