VOA Focus Today (September 30, 2026) President Trump Hosts Musk and Huang, Refuses to Cooperate with China in the Field of “Super Intelligence”
This episode of VOA Today's Focus primarily reports on US President Trump hosting tech executives such as Elon Musk and Jensen Huang at the White House, signing an executive order to establish the America.gov super intelligence government service platform, and stating that the US will not cooperate with China in the field of super intelligence. In addition, the program covers US arms sales data to Taiwan and the delivery progress of F-16V fighter jets, a US Senate bill introduced to ban federal procurement of Chinese optical transceivers, the US Department of State releasing the new 2028 US passport, and updates on a potential attack at a US military base in the UK resulting in the arrest of five suspects.
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Welcome to VOA Today's Focus for September 30. I am Fandongning, broadcasting live from the US capital, Washington. Every day here, we take 15 minutes to quickly bring you the latest developments in the US and globally. Here are today's top stories. President Trump hosted tech tycoons including Elon Musk and Jensen Huang at the White House, stating that he does not wish to cooperate with China in the field of super intelligence.
US President Trump had lunch on Tuesday at the White House with several super intelligence executives, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk and NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, and signed an executive order to establish the America.gov super intelligence government service platform. President Trump also stated that the US will not cooperate with China in the field of super intelligence.
US President Trump signed an executive order establishing the America.gov super intelligence government service platform. This executive order requires all government agencies to integrate their public-facing services into this platform within 90 days. The platform is already operational, and US citizens can type questions into the search bar, allowing the super intelligence to search thousands of federal government databases to provide relevant information to users. Starting in 2027, the platform will provide more practical government services, such as assisting citizens with processes like name changes, simplifying procedures that previously could have taken weeks to complete.
Trump also touched upon the competition between the US and China in the field of superintelligence, stating that the US currently holds the lead and therefore sees no need to share further technology with China. President Xi was also here at the time, and we talked about it, but not all that much because I didn't want to do anything. We are in the lead, so why should I do anything? Many people said we should do it together with China, but that would immediately give them access to things we know and they don't. Of course, we do cooperate with China in many areas. Whoever wins superintelligence wins.
Trump also discussed the concept of superintelligence, stating that it represents the next stage of artificial intelligence development, and announced that the US will officially use the term superintelligence. This government innovation merely offers a glimpse into what superintelligence, or SI, can achieve, which is also the official US designation. I will sign a very favorable executive order; I spoke with President Xi Jinping, and he really likes this concept.
After signing the executive order, Trump had lunch at the White House with several superintelligence industry executives, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, META CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Trump said the meeting went very well and was very productive, noting that these companies will work specifically with local communities on data centers.
US Ambassador to China David Purnell posted on X on Thursday to reiterate the Trump administration's policy toward Taiwan, emphasizing that the US One China policy remains unchanged, and affirming support for the Taiwan Relations Act, the Three Communiqués, and the Six Assurances. Chinese President Xi Jinping has heard President Trump's relevant statements on multiple occasions, and President Trump's arms sales to Taiwan have exceeded those of any US president since 1979 by more than 50%. Ambassador Purnell said he rejects the claims that President Trump has not done everything we should for Taiwan.
Regarding the specific figures for US arms sales to Taiwan, Voice of America also specially produced a chart comparing the arms sales amounts to Taiwan across successive US administrations. Based on statistics from the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) as of December 17, 2025, the amounts of arms sales to Taiwan notified to Congress during various US administrations are as follows: the Clinton administration, $8.702 billion; the George W. Bush administration, $15.614 billion; the Obama administration, $13.962 billion; President Trump's first term, $18.278 billion; the Biden administration, $8.377 billion; and President Trump's second term, $11.436 billion. In addition, President Trump's second term includes an arms sales plan to Taiwan of approximately $14 billion that has not yet completed formal congressional notification. If this amount is also included, the total amount notified and pending notification for President Trump's second term is approximately $25.44 billion.
Regarding outside observations that the 66 advanced F-16V fighter jets sold by the US to Taiwan—which were originally expected to arrive at Taiwan's air force bases before the US-China summit—have still not been delivered, Taiwan's Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo reiterated on Tuesday that US policy toward Taiwan has not changed. Speaking while answering questions in Taiwan's Legislative Yuan, Koo stated that Taiwan is continuing to engage with the US side on the arms procurement case worth approximately $14 billion, and that the F-16V fighter jets purchased by Taiwan have already entered the production stage and are ready for delivery at any time.
This batch of arms sales to Taiwan, approved by the United States and valued at approximately $14 billion, focuses primarily on advanced air defense systems, including Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) interceptors, the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS), air defense interceptor missiles, and the Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS). Taiwan's Minister of National Defense, Wellington Koo, stated on the 29th that the arms sale project is currently being negotiated with the U.S. side. Deputy Spokesperson for Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Phoebe Yeh, also cited U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns in a press conference on the 29th, stating that U.S. policy toward Taiwan will not change. The U.S. Ambassador to China reiterated in an interview that the U.S. remains firmly committed to the Taiwan Relations Act and the Six Assurances, and he also clarified that U.S. policy toward Taiwan will not change. This is a long-standing and consistent U.S. policy and stance toward Taiwan that has been reiterated multiple times since the Trump administration took office.
Ma Chun-wei, a professor at Tamkang University in Taiwan, stated that given that Washington and Beijing are seeking to maintain stable relations ahead of two other summits to be held later this year, the Taiwan issue may be temporarily shelved. Within this year, because there are two more summits between the two sides, that is, between the U.S. and China, I think neither side wants to break the situation, so the Taiwan issue will be temporarily shelved, especially regarding arms sales to Taiwan. However, if we look at the importance the establishment currently places on the security of the first island chain, the 2025 National Security Strategy actually proposed that the first island chain is very important to the United States, and Taiwan is a hub. Therefore, based on the official U.S. policy drafted by the establishment, I think arms sales to Taiwan remain an inevitable direction for the future. Taiwan's Minister of National Defense, Wellington Koo, also stated that the 66 F-16C/D Block 70/72 fighter jets ordered by Taiwan have entered the production stage and can be delivered at any time.
Turning to congressional news, four U.S. Senators from both the Republican and Democratic parties have introduced a bill that would ban Chinese-made optical transceivers from entering the U.S. federal government's national security systems.
In their statement on the bill, the four senators focused on national security and supply chain security, arguing that the United States should not rely on Chinese suppliers for critical technologies involving national security. The senators also mentioned that in June of this year, the U.S. Department of Defense added InnoLight to its list of Chinese military companies. At the same time, existing laws do not prohibit the use of optical transceivers associated with foreign adversaries in systems that handle the most sensitive U.S. government information. Senator McCormick, who introduced the bill, stated in his statement that the United States should not rely on China for technologies critical to national security. He said this bill would help ensure cybersecurity and provide opportunities for U.S. manufacturers. Organizations supporting the bill include the Alliance for American Manufacturing and the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio personally unveiled the new 2028 version of the U.S. passport on Tuesday. Redesigned by the U.S. Department of State and the National Design Studio, the passport has been completely overhauled from the cover to the inner pages. Secretary of State Rubio showcased the new passport at the launch event, with the American bald eagle as the core design element symbolizing American strength and freedom. The new cover places the United States of America at the top and enlarges the Great Seal of the United States, making the gold elements more prominent. Opening the passport, the bald eagle appears to be spreading its wings, leading the holder through 250 years of American history. The patterns on the inner pages cover historical moments such as the Revolutionary War, the American westward expansion, the construction of the transcontinental railroad, the Wright brothers' invention of the airplane, the raising of the flag on Iwo Jima, and the Artemis moon landing program. Secretary of State Rubio said that because the U.S. passport is one of the most secure documents in the world, some security designs will not be disclosed, but the new passport will have a dynamic flight effect of the bald eagle when the pages are turned. Secretary of State Rubio stated that the State Department also plans to allow Americans to complete passport applications entirely from home in the future and to expand the popularity of passports and passport cards. He said the message conveyed by the U.S. passport is simple: I am an American, and my country supports me.
Regarding the potential attack on a U.S. military base in the UK, U.S. Secretary of State Rubio stated that a foreign actor was involved in the potential attack on an air base used by the U.S. military in western England. Rubio told Fox News on Monday evening that he could not provide further details about the situation, other than to say it clearly involved some foreign actor. He said that what almost happened in the UK last weekend was a very serious situation. Rubio later mentioned Iran when discussing global factors that threaten U.S. interests. British authorities arrested five men, and the U.S. military had previously used this base for attacks against Iran. British counter-terrorism police said on Monday that the five men were all British citizens in their twenties residing in London. Officials said the five have been granted bail but remain under investigation. U.S. President Trump praised the cooperation with British authorities, but expressed surprise that the five suspects were granted bail. British Defence Secretary Streeting said on Monday that all lines of inquiry remain open.