Voice of America Chinese Broadcast (October 23, 2026) U.S. Vice President Vance says that despite the enormous challenges in resolving the Russia-Ukraine issue, the Trump administration will continue its efforts; U.S. President Trump accuses Iran of fabricating attacks on ships in an attempt to "drive up"...
This episode of the VOA Chinese broadcast mainly reports on U.S. Vice President Vance discussing the Russia-Ukraine situation, Trump accusing Iran of fabricating ship attacks, Russia and Ukraine accusing each other of drone strikes, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang discussing artificial intelligence, Microsoft accusing Chinese hacker groups of using AI to infiltrate companies, concerns over an Ebola outbreak in Nigeria, the conclusion of the APEC Finance Ministers' Meeting, Chinese tech companies ordering NVIDIA graphics cards, and the Taiwan authorities condemning Beijing's cross-border repression.
Video link:
Full text:
Hello listeners, welcome to the VOA Chinese broadcast. I am Lin Sen, reporting to you from Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. The main contents of today's program include: U.S. Vice President Vance says that despite the huge challenges in resolving the Russia-Ukraine issue, the Trump administration will continue its efforts; U.S. President Trump accuses Iran of fabricating attacks on ships, intending to drive up oil prices before the U.S. midterm elections; Russia and Ukraine each accused the other on October 22 of using hundreds of drones to attack their respective capitals; NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang calls on people to maintain responsible optimism regarding the development of artificial intelligence, or what he calls superintelligence.
On Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump accused Iran of fabricating attacks on ships, intending to drive up oil prices before the U.S. midterm elections. The day before, Iran claimed that seven oil tankers in the region had either been attacked by Iranian forces or had struck mines laid by Iran. Please listen to the report from VOA reporter Huang Yaoyi at the White House. On Thursday, October 22, President Trump posted on Truth Social that Iran is doing everything it can to drive up oil prices before the U.S. midterm elections. Trump said in the post that they are even fabricating fake attacks, mines, and various other incidents, noting that the volume of oil currently passing through the Strait of Hormuz is even higher than before the conflict broke out. Iranian state media claimed on Thursday that the navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had taken action against four oil tankers the previous day, and that three other tankers had struck mines. A report from the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations on Wednesday stated that within the past 24 hours, two oil tankers had been hit by projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf. It is currently unclear whether the two tankers mentioned in the report are among those claimed by Tehran to have been attacked. Meanwhile, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that under the blockade imposed on Iran by the U.S. Navy, Iran's main oil loading terminal on Kharg Island has ceased operations. At the same time, the price of Brent crude oil rose to over $113 per barrel on Thursday. VOA reporter Huang Yaoyi reporting from the White House.
US Vice President Vance was interviewed by reporters on October 22 before heading to Nebraska, stating that US Peace Envoy Steve Witkoff recently held separate talks with the leadership of Russia and Ukraine. Vance said that Witkoff is optimistic about this. Vance also stated that despite facing enormous challenges in resolving the Russia-Ukraine issue, the Trump administration will continue its efforts. Let's listen to what Vice President Vance has to say: I think Steve has restarted the negotiation process; obviously, over the past few days, he has spoken separately with the leadership of Russia and Ukraine, and he feels optimistic about it. I mean, the nature of these kinds of things is that you try to push forward first, see how much progress you can make, and then keep working on it—sometimes it succeeds, sometimes it doesn't, but one thing I deeply admire about Steve, the entire diplomatic team, and the President is that we are willing to do those difficult things. Even knowing there is a giant mountain ahead of us, we are always trying.
On Thursday, October 22, Russia and Ukraine accused each other of using hundreds of drones to attack their respective capitals. Just a day prior, the Kremlin stated it had in principle agreed to resume US-led trilateral talks aimed at ending the war. The Ukrainian military said Moscow launched ballistic missiles at multiple locations across Ukraine and reported that Ukrainian forces shot down 181 Russian drones targeting Kyiv. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy stated that some Russian drones breached defenses, hitting residential buildings and energy facilities. He pointed out that Russia is clearly taking advantage of the slowdown in air defense supply deliveries from our partners. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Tuesday that nothing has been deliberately withheld from Ukraine. The Russian Ministry of Defence said on Thursday that its missile and drone strikes in Kyiv targeted facilities related to Ukrainian missile and drone production. Russia also stated that its forces shot down more than 800 drones, the majority of which were downed in the Moscow region. No date or location has been announced yet for the next round of talks. US Envoy Steve Witkoff met separately this week with Zelenskyy in Oslo and Russian President Putin in St. Petersburg to discuss what he called a peace framework. Witkoff said on Wednesday that these discussions were constructive and will be followed by trilateral technical-level talks between the US, Russia, and Ukraine. The last major negotiations involving these three countries took place in January and February, but failed to achieve any major breakthroughs toward ending the conflict that began with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.
Early voting for the 2026 U.S. midterm elections is underway. From Florida to Georgia and Texas, what issues are voters focusing on at the polls? Some hope to lower gasoline and food prices, while others prioritize the oil and gas industry and border control policies. Let's hear what the voters have to say. In Florida, voters indicated that the cost of living is one of the key factors influencing their voting decisions. I think people should consider what they care about most, and I think many people feel the same way I do, which is that gasoline and food prices are too high, and measures must be taken to solve this problem. Persistent high prices for gasoline and food have led some voters to hope that newly elected officials will take steps to alleviate the economic burden on the public. I hope that whoever is elected can lower prices, stabilize the situation, and bring gasoline prices down. In Georgia, voters have also begun early voting. For some, early voting avoids the rush on Election Day and ensures they cast their ballots on time. This election is very important, especially considering what is happening in the world today; we need to come out and vote. I like early voting because it allows me to get it done early, ensure I vote on time, and not worry about the chaos on November 3rd. In Texas, voters' views on the economy and policies are heading in different directions. One voter supporting a Democratic candidate said that rising prices for gasoline, food, and rent are making life difficult for many. I voted for James Talarico; he is clearly the right choice. Gasoline, food, and rent prices are all rising, and people are struggling. I work at a local food bank and see this firsthand every day, so I think it is important to come out and vote for the Democrats today. Another voter expressed support for the Republican and conservative stance, specifically mentioning the oil and gas industry and border control. I think Paxton will at least support the Republican and conservative position, and I hope so; that is why I intend to support him. I think Texas is a great place to do business and work, and I also think it supports the oil and gas industry and measures such as strengthening border control. From the cost of living to industrial policy and border security, voters' concerns vary. As early voting unfolds, these issues that matter most to the public will become an important entry point for observing this year's midterm elections.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang called at a conference in Berlin on Thursday for people to maintain responsible optimism regarding the development of artificial intelligence, which the Trump administration refers to as superintelligence. He criticized claims that artificial intelligence could end human civilization. Huang also emphasized that adults should shape an optimistic future with a responsible attitude. Huang further stated that achieving a sustainable future requires more energy, noting that technology should elevate human aspirations rather than simply giving people more free time. Let's hear what Jensen Huang had to say: We should all adopt responsible optimism as our code of conduct. This should be the goal for all adults. Of course, children can do whatever they want, but adults should maintain responsible optimism. Why would we want to create a future that isn't optimistic? What are we here for? We don't need those kinds of people; we need people who strive to create an optimistic future, but we must achieve this goal in a responsible way. Technology should elevate or expand our aspirations, not just give us more free time. I think people have always had the wrong idea; the result of technology increasing productivity is exactly the opposite of that idea. So, every time we invent new technology, the economy expands, and frankly, we also become busier.
US tech giant Microsoft stated that a China-linked hacker group utilized superintelligence, commonly known as artificial intelligence technology, to hack information services company Connexions, as part of a campaign targeting hundreds of organizations globally. Listen to the report. Microsoft released this investigation report conducted by its security research and threat intelligence team on Wednesday. The report indicates that the China-linked hacker group STORM-0940 used the superintelligence infiltration tool ARTEX in September this year to launch automated attacks against hundreds of organizations across various industry sectors globally, with some attacks resulting in the hacker group gaining privileged access to the cloud infrastructure of certain institutions. Multiple attack operations took less than three hours from the initial target lock-on to obtaining privileged access. These targeted entities include aerospace, defense, automotive, energy, financial services, government, media, semiconductors, tech enterprises, and think tanks, among others. Microsoft also stated that Storm-0940 is involved in the recently disclosed supply chain intrusion targeting the multi-tenant applications of information technology services company Connexions. Connexions CEO Manny Rivero stated in a statement that, based on Microsoft's analysis and evidence available to Connexions, it appears that a China-linked group launched an attack on Connexions' cloud servers. Rivero stated that Connexions has disabled the affected application connections and is restoring services in phases; however, these operations cannot remove unauthorized access that may have already been established within a customer tenant, and such access requires individual inspection. Microsoft's report also points out that although most of the targets locked by hackers were not successfully breached, Storm-0940 still managed to obtain privileged access to the cloud infrastructure of many institutions within a short period, and even if cleanup and remediation measures are taken afterward, these permissions may remain valid.
Residents in Nigeria's capital, Abuja, expressed concern on October 22 over the Ebola outbreak, two days after the country officially confirmed its first confirmed Ebola case. While some citizens began taking protective measures, they also worried that if the epidemic spreads, the government might once again implement lockdown measures, affecting business and daily travel. Nigerian authorities have currently identified 44 contacts and stated they have the capability to respond to the outbreak. Let's listen to what Shafi'la Ango, a member of the National Youth Service Corps, has to say: I am being as careful as possible, yes, and I hope that the relevant authorities can take some measures, provide vaccines or other measures, and at the same time people can pay more attention to protection, because sometimes Nigerians tend not to take things seriously. Currently, I don't see anyone wearing a mask; instead, some people make fun of me for wearing one. I am just trying my best to take safety precautions, so if there are protective measures that need to be taken, people should just do it and take it seriously. Let's also listen to real estate agent Kingsley Ozonochi share his feelings: I am really scared, because the last time this happened, the government implemented a lockdown. Therefore, I am worried that this case might prompt the government to announce a lockdown, which will severely impact our business. Even for those of us who could originally travel freely, our movements will be restricted, so I am scared, really scared. I hope the government can take measures to prevent the epidemic from continuing to spread.
Turning to the stock market, on Thursday the three major stock indices saw the Dow Jones Industrial Average rise by 0.02%, the S&P 500 index fall by 1.21%, and the technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index drop by 2.60%.
Finance ministers of the economies discussed how to support economic growth amid tightening public finances and reached a consensus on how to address external challenges, although parties did not commit to specific policy adjustments. Here is a report from VOA reporter Wu Xinxin. In a joint statement released after the meeting, the ministers stated that all countries reaffirmed their commitment to building an open, dynamic, resilient, and peaceful Asia-Pacific community by 2040. The priorities discussed by the finance ministers included fiscal policies to support households, financing for digital infrastructure, universal access to financial services and opportunities, and dialogues on young financial talent, among others. The joint statement pointed out that while the global and regional economies have shown resilience, and rapid technological development and industrial transformation have become important engines for economic growth, factors such as persistent geo-economic tensions, supply chain vulnerabilities, commodity price fluctuations, tightening financing conditions, extreme weather events and natural disasters, and policy uncertainty continue to pose downside risks. The statement reaffirmed the importance of maintaining resilient supply chains and noted that all countries recognize that keeping regional connectivity and trade routes open is in everyone's common interest. Regarding digital infrastructure financing, the joint statement emphasized that the finance ministers recognize that robust digital infrastructure is the cornerstone of economic resilience and financial stability; however, some economies still face significant financing gaps, and this issue is gradually intensifying. In this regard, the finance ministers encouraged the public sector to create clear, transparent, and predictable policy and regulatory frameworks for digital infrastructure development, and also encouraged the private sector to develop and adopt innovative financing methods in providing capital and technical expertise. Lan Fo'an, China's Minister of Finance and Chair of the APEC Finance Ministers' Meeting, stated at a press conference on Wednesday that the finance ministers of APEC member economies have reached a consensus to strengthen communication and coordination of macroeconomic policies to address external risks and challenges. In addition, member countries will deepen the process of regional integration and promote the building of an Asia-Pacific community. News reports on the official APEC website stated that the International Monetary Fund and the Asian Development Bank submitted assessment reports on the global and regional economic situations, respectively, providing a basis for ministers to examine the risks facing economic growth and financial stability. Additionally, a report submitted by the World Bank at the meeting explored how fiscal policy can enhance household resilience while supporting long-term growth. The report emphasized the importance of balancing the short-term needs of households with investments in human capital and sustainable public finances. The APEC Finance Ministers' Meeting is the last ministerial meeting before the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting next month. The 33rd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting will be held in Shenzhen from November 18 to 19, with the theme of "Building an Asia-Pacific Community to Promote Common Prosperity." This is the third time China has hosted the APEC summit, following Shanghai in 2001 and Beijing in 2014.
China's three largest tech companies have reportedly ordered Nvidia graphics cards with a total value exceeding 35 billion dollars. This astonishing scale of procurement shows that despite Huawei stepping up its efforts to build domestic alternatives, Chinese tech enterprises still heavily rely on US technology. Here is a report by Voice of America reporter Lin Feng. Reuters reported on October 20, citing two sources with knowledge of the matter, that ByteDance, Alibaba, and Tencent have ordered over 3 million new Nvidia RTX Pro 5500 graphics cards. Because demand from Chinese companies far exceeds Nvidia's original production volume, the company has informed customers that the final delivery quantity may only be 5% to 10% of the orders. Voice of America cannot independently verify these figures. The 35 billion dollars mentioned in the report is the total order value calculated based on list prices, which does not mean the transactions have been completed, and Nvidia has not yet guaranteed delivery. However, the scale of these orders has raised an important question regarding US export controls and the development of China's semiconductor industry: If Huawei's Ascend processors are becoming viable alternatives to Nvidia products, why are China's leading tech companies still trying to purchase millions of lower-performance US workstation graphics cards? The answer appears to involve not only the performance of a single chip, but also reflects the shortage of computing power supply within China, the long-term advantages of Nvidia's software ecosystem, and uncertainty over whether Huawei can mass-produce and deploy new-generation systems quickly enough. The RTX Pro 5500 is primarily designed for professional workstations and is not intended for the highly interconnected data center clusters required to train the largest AI models. Nevertheless, it remains one of the highest-performing Nvidia products that Chinese customers can currently purchase without violating current US export restrictions on super intelligent chips. Super intelligence is the US government's official term for what is commonly referred to internationally as artificial intelligence or AI. According to information released by Nvidia, this Blackwell-architecture-based graphics card is equipped with 84GB of GDDR7 VRAM. By comparison, Nvidia's previous-generation H200 data center processor is equipped with 141GB of faster high-bandwidth memory, while the more advanced B300 is equipped with 288GB of high-bandwidth memory. This difference is crucial for training and running large models; memory capacity determines how large a model the processor can load, while memory and interconnect bandwidth affect whether a large number of chips can operate efficiently in coordination. The challenge facing Huawei is not just catching up with Nvidia in hardware performance. Nvidia has spent nearly 20 years developing CUDA, a software platform widely used by engineers to write programs running on Nvidia processors, complete with hundreds of specialized software libraries and development tools. Nvidia stated in its latest annual regulatory filing that more than 7.5 million developers worldwide use CUDA and the company's other software tools. Chinese enterprises that are already using Nvidia systems to train models and develop applications may need to invest more time and capital, while bearing additional technical risks, if they were to transfer their related work to Huawei Ascend processors. The strong demand from Chinese companies for the RTX Pro 5500 may reflect their greater willingness to choose products that can immediately run existing software, even if these graphics cards are less powerful than export-restricted data center chips. Huawei stated that the company has deployed more than 300 sets of Atlas 900 A3 super node systems to over 20 customers in fields such as internet services, telecommunications, and manufacturing, with these systems centered around the Ascend 910C processor. At the same time, Huawei is developing larger-scale systems that connect thousands of Ascend processors to form a unified computing platform. Huawei stated in September this year that the company has advanced its product release schedule, with the Ascend 960DT expected to launch in the first quarter of 2027. Huawei stated that the new generation of chips will achieve significant improvements in memory capacity, computing performance, and interconnect speed. These performance metrics announced by Huawei have not yet been independently verified. Voice of America reporter Lin Feng reporting from Washington.
On Wednesday, October 21, the Taiwan government issued a stern condemnation of the Beijing authorities' attempt to infringe upon the personal safety of the Taiwanese people and undermine freedom of speech through violent threats. Here is a report from VOA reporter Zhong Chenfang. The New Taipei District Prosecutors Office stated that investigators discovered that an individual from the mainland, identified as K, allegedly offered a reward of NT$450,000 to five defendants—surnamed Zheng, You, Huang, Fan, and Liao—to collect personal information on specific individuals and premeditatedly ram them with a vehicle to cause injuries requiring hospitalization, thereby preventing them from participating in a scheduled performance. The investigation has concluded, and the prosecutors have filed indictments for attempted aggravated assault and violations of the Personal Data Protection Act, seeking sentences ranging from two years and seven months to five years and six months. Last December, Huang Yi-hao posted a joke on social media satirizing Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Last month, he was struck by a vehicle near his home. After investigation by prosecutors and investigators, it was discovered that the perpetrators were acting under the direction of Chinese individuals, intending to stage a fake traffic accident to prevent him from performing on stage. The New Taipei District Prosecutors Office stated that this case is a serious incident in which the CCP allegedly directed local criminals through transnational repression to suppress voices with opposing political stances using extreme violence. The defendants willingly served foreign hostile forces, intending to create a chilling effect in Taiwan's society and seriously provoking the bottom line of Taiwan's democracy and rule of law, with extremely malicious intent. On the same day, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Mainland Affairs Council issued statements condemning China's transnational violent repression. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that freedom of speech is an inviolable cornerstone of a democratic society, and no one should suffer violent retaliation for expressing opinions. China's alleged bribery of local individuals to prevent artists from performing is a despicable act of political competition. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on the international community to face up to the threat of China's transnational repression and refuse to allow authoritarian regimes to use the openness and freedom of democratic societies to engage in intimidation, infiltration, and violent harm. The Mainland Affairs Council stated that the CCP not only cannot tolerate dissenting opinions within its borders but also does not allow political criticism outside of China. Even more shamefully, it uses transnational repression to harm Taiwanese citizens, attempting to stifle Taiwan's freedom of speech and seriously challenging Taiwan's democratic and legal order. Taiwan will certainly hold them accountable according to the law and pursue the matter to the end. Liu Yi-zheng, an Asia project officer at the Paris-based international human rights organization Article 19, said in an interview with VOA that the Taiwan government has a certain understanding of transnational repression and has corresponding response mechanisms. He cited the example of Japanese-born media personality Akio Ishizaka, who was attacked by Hong Kong individuals in Taiwan, noting that law enforcement officers were able to quickly arrest the suspects at the airport. However, Liu said that Taiwan still lacks suitable legal tools to deal with cases involving political motives. Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Justice indicted Zhang Wanying, a woman living in Irvine, California, accusing her of acting as an unregistered agent for the Chinese government within the United States. Prosecutors alleged that she had followed the instructions of Chinese government officials to conduct secret surveillance on the son of Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te in the United States. This case has once again sparked external concern about the Chinese government's transnational surveillance activities in the United States. Ben San-du, a researcher at the Global Taiwan Institute, said in an interview with VOA that regarding China's influence operations worldwide—whether it be espionage, theft of trade secrets, or intimidation of dissidents—people will see many non-state actors participating in various activities. Taking the case of Lai Ching-te as an example, it involves the potential intimidation of a political figure's son, and he believes the backgrounds of these involved individuals are worth careful observation. VOA reporter Zhong Chenfang reporting from Washington.