Voice of America Chinese Broadcast (October 1, 2026) - October 01, 2026
This episode of Voice of America Chinese broadcasts covers several major international news items: the U.S. military officially announced its withdrawal from Iraq, marking the end of the 12-year mission to combat the Islamic State; Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that a Russian nighttime raid on Kyiv's energy facilities caused casualties; British police are investigating Iran's suspected involvement in an incident near a U.S. military base in England; the U.S. Navy awarded Boeing a $20 billion contract for the next-generation stealth fighter jet; a flydubai flight was diverted to Saudi Arabia after the co-pilot attacked the captain; at the United Nations General Assembly, China and Japan clashed once again over the enemy state clause; U.S. political figures made statements regarding the Taiwan issue and arms sales to Taiwan following the Trump-Xi meeting; and Trump announced the launch of a new AI-driven government services website, america.gov.
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Hello, dear listeners, and welcome to Voice of America Chinese broadcast. I am Wei Zhi, reporting to you today from the U.S. capital, Washington. The main contents of today's program are: President Trump announced that the last batch of U.S. troops is withdrawing from Iraq, stating that the original decision was wrong, this chapter of history is coming to an end, and this is a great day for America. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russian drones and missiles attacked energy facilities in Kyiv and its surrounding areas overnight, causing five deaths, including a child. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio congratulated the People's Republic of China on its 77th founding anniversary, conveying good wishes from the United States to the Chinese people and wishing them peace, health, and happiness in the coming year. The U.S. Department of War stated that Boeing has been selected to build the next-generation stealth fighter jet for the U.S. Navy. For more news content, please stay tuned to Voice of America Chinese broadcast.
The governments of the United States and Iraq announced the withdrawal of the last batch of U.S. troops from Iraq, marking the official end of a mission that began 12 years ago, just weeks after Islamic State militants seized large swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria and established a caliphate. U.S. Central Command, responsible for executing Operation Inherent Resolve, announced on Wednesday, September 30, that U.S. military forces and equipment had been orderly withdrawn from the Erbil Air Base in northern Iraq. Central Command stated that the Erbil base hosted the vast majority of the 1,500 U.S. and coalition personnel supporting the operations against the Islamic State. This U.S.-led military coalition, comprising dozens of countries and organizations, was tasked with supporting Iraqi security forces and degrading and ultimately defeating the Islamic State terrorist organization operating in Iraq and Syria. After the Islamic State was driven from the territory it once occupied, the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS announced in March 2019 that the terrorist organization's territorial losses were complete. In September 2024, the coalition and the Iraqi government reached a phased transition agreement, which included ending the military mission in the country, transferring security responsibilities to Iraq in September 2025, and withdrawing coalition forces by September 2026.
U.S. Central Command commander Admiral Brad Cooper said in a statement that due to your resilience, sacrifice, and professionalism, the Islamic State no longer poses a systemic threat to Iraqi national security. Iraqi security forces, including the Freedom Fighter militias and other security forces in the Iraqi Kurdistan region, now possess the capability, leadership, and operational autonomy to independently address domestic threats. The Iraqi government hailed the end of this mission as a milestone in exercising its sovereignty and assuming responsibility for its national security. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Falih al-Zaidi said in a statement released by his office, We announce the successful conclusion of the international coalition's operations against the Islamic State, thereby highlighting the cooperation between friendly forces and friendly peoples to achieve victory, ending the darkest chapter of extremism and brutality in history. Iraq, currently busy dealing with other Iranian-backed armed militia groups within the country, stated that it is willing to maintain security cooperation with countries and organizations that participated in the mission. The end of the international coalition's mission does not mean the termination of our counter-terrorism struggle, but marks a new phase in which Iraq takes full responsibility for its own security and problems, al-Zaidi said. The U.S. military also stated in a statement released on Wednesday that the cooperation between the U.S. and Iraq is transitioning to a new bilateral defense relationship. U.S. Central Command stated that the mission will now shift to be based in neighboring Jordan, with a primary focus on Syria. Last November, President Donald Trump met at the White House with Syrian President Ahmed Shara, a former jihadist whose government has officially joined the U.S.-led global coalition. Other coalition member countries have completed their withdrawal from Iraq; the Italian Ministry of Defense announced on Tuesday that its last personnel had left Iraq that day, while Germany completed its withdrawal last month.
Ukrainian President Zelensky said on Wednesday, September 30, that Russian drones and missiles attacked energy facilities in Kyiv and surrounding areas overnight, killing five people, including a child. Ukrainian officials said this marks the beginning of Moscow's winter campaign to attack the power grid. Zelensky stated on Telegram that the attack involved nearly 190 drones and ballistic missiles, with energy infrastructure in the capital and the Kyiv region being the primary targets. He said a total of 14 people were injured nationwide. Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhiy Kolesky stated on Telegram that Russia has stepped up its offensive, launching large-scale strikes against our energy infrastructure. He said that since the summer, there has been almost no day without our energy facilities being attacked, but a joint strike of this scale has not occurred since the end of the last heating season. It also instructed local authorities to check backup power systems for critical facilities. Three people died in the Ukrainian capital, including an employee of the municipal heating company, Kyivteploenergo. Regional Military Administration head Dmytro Klymenko said a house collapsed in Vyshhorod, Kyiv region, killing a boy and leaving three others rescued.
The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that its forces attacked a data center in Kyiv, a hydroelectric power plant, a thermal power plant, an electrical substation, and an energy storage facility in the Kyiv region, as well as port infrastructure in Izmail. In the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk, guided missiles injured three people and destroyed the Labor and Social Security Administration building, damaging more than a dozen apartment buildings and four schools, the local council said on Telegram. On the other hand, according to a document seen by Reuters, Russia warned that if NATO attempts to cut off Kaliningrad, Moscow is prepared to use nuclear weapons. To defend its territory, Russia will be prepared to use all forces and capabilities at its disposal, including nuclear weapons, the document said. NATO responded by stating that their activities do not threaten Russian territory and urged Moscow to stop irresponsible nuclear rhetoric. Kolesky said that Ukraine's war spending this year will reach $155 billion, and the government is trying to bridge a $27 billion funding gap.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on Wednesday, September 30, that there are strong indications linking Iran to an incident on Sunday near a US-used air force base in western England. Authorities arrested five individuals, all of whom have been identified as British citizens residing in London, and have since been released on bail. Burnham told the BBC that a complex and serious police investigation is underway and is being conducted in close cooperation with the United States. Burnham stated that we will disclose more information in due course, but we can confirm that we believe Iran played a role in this. The UK national counter-terrorism policing command stated that the five arrested individuals were detained on suspicion of offenses related to explosives and terrorism. The agency stated on Tuesday that during a search operation prompted by a report of a suspicious vehicle outside Royal Air Force Fairford in the UK earlier on Sunday, a quantity of gasoline was discovered, though no improvised explosive devices were found. The US military has used the base to carry out strikes against Iran, and the Iranian government stated that this makes the base a legitimate target. The Iranian Embassy in London issued a statement denying any involvement in the incident near the base. Prior to Burnham's comments, US Secretary of State Rubio told Fox News that the incident clearly involved foreign actors.
US Secretary of State Rubio issued a congratulatory statement on Wednesday, September 3, for the National Day of the People's Republic of China on October 1. Rubio stated in a written statement that, on behalf of the United States of America, I extend my congratulations to the Chinese people on the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1, and the United States extends its best wishes to the Chinese people for peace, health, and happiness in the coming year.
The US Department of War announced on Tuesday that Boeing has won a $20 billion contract to develop the US Navy's next-generation stealth fighter jet. This is the second consecutive year that Boeing has secured a US military sixth-generation fighter project, which is also seen by outsiders as an important layout for the United States to counter Chinese military power. The US Department of Defense stated on Tuesday that Boeing has been selected to build the next-generation stealth fighter for the US Navy, marking the second consecutive year that the aerospace company has won a major contract in the field of the US new-generation fighter jets, while also ending months of delays for the program. The project is seen as a crucial component of the US response to China's military presence in the Pacific region. Boeing defeated its competitor Northrop Grumman to win the $20-billion research and development contract, which initially will be responsible for manufacturing prototypes for testing. As the project subsequently enters mass-production phase and potentially secures future orders from international customers, the total value of the program over its entire lifecycle could grow to hundreds of billions of dollars. In March of last year, Boeing was also selected to build the new-generation stealth fighter F-47 for the Air Force, meaning Boeing has won two flagship US sixth-generation fighter projects for two consecutive years.
On September 30 at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel, a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv plummeted 15,000 feet within about a minute. Israeli officials stated that the co-pilot of this flight stabbed the pilot, which may have been an attempted terrorist attack, forcing the flight to divert to Saudi Arabia and land safely. A passenger on board, Italy, said that they heard a disturbance on the plane afterwards, and the aircraft plummeted rapidly, dropping 15,000 feet in a minute. Later, they saw one or two Israelis walking towards the front of the cabin and entering the cockpit, followed immediately by seeing the captain walk out with blood stained on his shirt. Later, we spoke with them and learned that they had landed in Saudi Arabia, where they obtained water and food on board and subsequently disembarked, and currently they do not yet know how they will return to Israel, perhaps taking a Flydubai flight or an Israeli plane. On the other hand, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu stated on September 30 that Saudi Arabia has arrested and is currently interrogating the Flydubai pilot who allegedly attempted to cause the plane flying to Israel to crash. Israeli officials stated that the co-pilot of this flight stabbed the pilot, which may have been an attempted terrorist attack, forcing the flight to divert to Saudi Arabia and land safely. Netanyahu said that I salute these heroes who showed extraordinary mechanism and courage, as they saved many lives and averted a major disaster. The plane landed safely at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia, all passengers are out of danger, the pilot who did the stabbing has been arrested and is currently being interrogated by Saudi authorities, and we are maintaining close contact with relevant departments to ensure the continued safety of the passengers and guarantee their safe return to Israel.
On Wednesday, the three major stock indices saw the Dow Jones Industrial Average drop by 0.86%, the S&P 500 fall by 0.25%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite rise by 0.24%.
Tuesday, September 29, marked the 54th anniversary of the signing of the Japan-China Joint Statement and the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and China. The day before, China and Japan clashed once again over the enemy state clauses in the United Nations Charter. During the general debate of the UN General Assembly in New York, in response to Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's call a few days earlier for the early removal of the enemy state clauses from the UN Charter, the Chinese representative stated while exercising the right of reply that Japan attempted to revive militarism and expressed firm opposition. Meanwhile, the Japanese representative retorted that Japan upholds exclusively defense-oriented policies. On September 22, Sanae Takaichi delivered a speech at the UN General Assembly for the first time, calling on the UN to remove references to enemy states from the UN Charter. She solemnly stated that, based on Japan's significant contributions to the work of the UN over the past 70 years, I strongly raise this point with a profound sense of pride and respect. The term enemy state is mentioned in three articles of the UN Charter, namely Article 53, Article 77, and Article 107. The UN Charter was drafted at the end of World War II and entered into force immediately after the war on October 24, 1945. The Allied powers—namely the United States, the United Kingdom, China, the Soviet Union, and France—played a pivotal role in drafting the charter and subsequently secured permanent seats on the UN Security Council. The Allies viewed the charter as a mechanism designed to prevent former Axis powers—Germany, Italy, and Japan—from regenerating militarism or fascist politics without having to resort to the newly established Security Council. Simply put, these three articles provided the legal basis for World War II Allies to take direct preventive or military action against former enemy states like Germany, Italy, and Japan should they again exhibit aggressive tendencies, without requiring prior approval from the UN Security Council.
Following Sanae Takaichi's speech at the UN General Assembly, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted on X on September 24 to reiterate the Japanese government's position that these clauses are obsolete and incompatible with Japan's status in the international community. The statement said that China's renewed statement regarding the so-called enemy state clauses in the UN Charter, as if these long-defunct clauses were still active, contradicts relevant resolutions already adopted by the UN and supported by China itself. The statement noted that China once voted in favor of the 1955 UN General Assembly resolution, which explicitly recognized that the so-called enemy state clauses in the UN Charter were obsolete and a dead letter. Furthermore, China also joined the consensus on the 2005 UN General Assembly resolution, which explicitly stated the determination of all member states, heads of state, and heads of government to remove the term enemy state from the UN Charter. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China ought to respect these resolutions it supported. In response to Sanae Takaichi's remarks, China's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Sun Lei, exercised his right of reply on September 28 to express firm opposition. He linked these clauses to Japan's historical responsibilities and its current security policies, pointing out that the enemy state clauses are an indispensable component of the UN Charter and, against the backdrop of Japan's negative trends in recent years, still hold significant practical relevance today and cannot be tolerated for deletion or revision. Sanae Takaichi is not the first Japanese Prime Minister to call for the deletion of the enemy state clauses from the UN Charter. In 1995, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolutions 50 and 52 with 155 votes in favor (including China), 0 votes against, and 3 abstentions, expressing the intention to initiate the procedures stipulated in Article 108 of the UN Charter to delete the enemy state clauses. Ten years later, the outcome document of the 2005 World Summit, adopted without a vote, once again declared that the enemy state clauses should be deleted. However, this process subsequently stalled, and the UN Charter itself has never been formally amended to remove these clauses. The procedure for amending the UN Charter is extremely cumbersome, and the procedure stipulated in Article 108 is a barrier in itself. According to Article 108, any amendment must be adopted by a two-thirds majority vote of the UN General Assembly and ratified in accordance with their respective constitutional processes by two-thirds of the UN member states, including all permanent members of the Security Council. This means that any formal amendment cannot bypass the permanent members of the Security Council, including China and Russia.
The summit between U.S. President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping concluded last Friday, and the Taiwan issue did not become the focus of the summit as outsiders had originally expected. U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson said that U.S. support for Taiwan remains unchanged, no one can question the U.S. determination to support Taiwan, and the U.S. needs Taiwan to maintain stability and independence, which is crucial to U.S. national security. After the talks between Trump and Xi concluded, neither the U.S. nor China mentioned Taiwan in their statements regarding the summit's outcomes. President Trump told the media at the White House on Saturday that he and Xi did not spend much time discussing Taiwan, and that Xi understands his feelings on this issue very well. In an exclusive interview on Fox Business on Monday, when asked by the host whether Trump was using Taiwan as a bargaining chip in negotiations with China to delay arms sales packages already on his desk, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson replied that he would not overinterpret this, because it is related to everything involving the conflict in Iran, the missile programs the U.S. itself needs, and other matters involving the current situation in the Middle East. He said that to see Trump's determination, one must look at what he has actually done; looking back at his two terms, the total value of weapons he sold to Taiwan will reach $40 billion, which is about twice that of the Obama administration. Johnson said, I don't think anyone can question the determination of the United States. We know that Taiwan is a very important partner, friend, and also our important ally, and we need them to maintain stability and independence. I think that is very important for our national security purposes, economy, and other matters, so I think you can continue to expect to see it remain so in the future.
After the Trump-Xi meeting concluded, lawmakers from both U.S. parties issued statements expressing support for Taiwan and urging Trump to proceed with arms sales to Taiwan as soon as possible. Chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, Republican Representative John Moolenaar, issued a statement last Friday saying that Xi Jinping wanted to get a lot out of this summit, but he left empty-handed. Ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen, along with other Democratic members of the committee and other Senate Democrats, issued a joint statement last week criticizing the summit for failing to deliver tangible results for the American people and calling on the Trump administration to immediately deliver the arms sales to Taiwan already approved by Congress. The statement said that U.S. support for Taiwan's self-defense capabilities is non-negotiable, and this is crucial to preventing a cross-strait conflict that could undermine regional stability and threaten the global economy. The Trump administration must immediately deliver the defense assistance approved by Congress, including the $1.3 billion in funding provided by this Congress, existing arms sales, and the $14 billion new arms sales package approved nine months ago. In response to a question from the Central News Agency regarding Trump's statement that he and Xi did not spend much time discussing Taiwan, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said last Saturday that it had noted Trump's relevant remarks in the interview. The ministry stated that the Trump-Xi meeting focused on U.S.-China economic and trade discussions, which is consistent with the information Taiwan had grasped beforehand and the expectations of all parties.
Following the conclusion of the talks between Trump and Xi, the Washington-based non-profit organization Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA) issued a press release on Monday urging the Trump administration to accelerate arms sales to Taiwan. As the People's Republic of China intensifies pressure on the First Island Chain, to strengthen credible deterrence, the organization called on the Trump administration to stop further delays and move forward as soon as possible with the $14 billion arms sales package to Taiwan to ensure the timely delivery of critical defense capabilities already approved for Taiwan. FAPA President Su-Mei Lin said that U.S. policy must strengthen Taiwan's self-defense capabilities and must never oppose Taiwan's independence; it cannot allow Beijing to dictate Taiwan's defense needs or turn Taiwan's security and independent sovereignty into leverage for U.S.-China negotiations. We strongly condemn the People's Republic of China's escalating military and gray-zone coercion against Taiwan, and also condemn its actions in pressuring Washington to restrict Taiwan from obtaining the defense capabilities it needs.
On Tuesday, September 29, U.S. President Trump announced the launch of america.gov, a new government website powered by artificial intelligence designed to help American citizens more easily find information and services provided by the federal government. Speaking at an event held at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, President Trump introduced that the goal of America.gov is to make the federal government serve the people more directly. Trump said that through America.gov, the federal government is no longer a roadblock, but provides services for you—that is what we are doing, we are simplifying it, making it more appealing, and making it what it was always supposed to be. Trump also said that this is the ultimate product, and when you think about it, it is called America. The homepage of America.gov features a search bar where users can ask questions in everyday language about how to access various federal government services, and the website states that the answers provided by the system come from official government websites with links to the original sources. Trump noted that in the past, American citizens often had to search for government information in an endless maze, and instead of making our citizens struggle to find answers across tens of thousands of terrible government websites, various regulations, and over 10,000 forms, you can now find a single entry point for every question. Trump stated that this project has been in preparation since the early days of his second administration, and according to the plans released by the website, by early 2027 users will be able to use this platform to complete government forms, applications, and renewals, including applying for Medicare and applying for passports. A White House fact sheet stated that America.gov is designed to centralize information scattered across numerous government websites into a single platform, allowing users to search via artificial intelligence rather than visiting individual federal agency websites separately. At the event, Trump also gave special thanks to Joe Gebbia, co-founder of Airbnb, the global lodging and travel service platform.