VOA Focus Today (October 21, 2026) U.S.-Japan Launch "Keen Sword 2027" Military Exercise; PLA Tracks U.S. Warship Throughout
U.S. Secretary of State Rubio stated that it is normal and necessary for the leaders of the U.S., China, and Russia to communicate on arms control. Trump called for a Russia-Ukraine agreement and revealed he is talking to Putin about the release of detained U.S. citizens. The U.S. and Japan launched the 'Keen Sword 2027' military exercise, while the PLA's warplanes and coast guard ships continue to pressure the areas surrounding Taiwan. With the U.S. midterm elections approaching, competition between the two parties has intensified, and authorities have strengthened election security. Japan successfully launched the H3 rocket carrying the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission. Paris, France, temporarily returned to calm on Tuesday following weekend riots, with curfews continuing in some areas.
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Welcome to VOA Today's Focus for October 21. I am Fan Dongning, broadcasting 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 U.S. and around the world. Here are today's top stories.
Calling on Putin to release U.S. citizens imprisoned in Russia, U.S. Secretary of State Rubio stated that it is completely normal and necessary for the leaders of the three nuclear powers—the U.S., China, and Russia—to communicate. During his visit to Mumbai, India, on Tuesday, Secretary of State Rubio responded to a question about whether China is willing to discuss arms control, stating that it is completely normal and necessary for the leaders of the three most powerful nations to communicate. Secretary Rubio emphasized that the essence of diplomatic negotiation is engaging in dialogue with the other party. To resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict, one must communicate with Russia. He also pointed out that President Trump is open to discussions on arms control and other issues at the leader level among the U.S., China, and Russia, which would be beneficial to the world. Secretary Rubio also confirmed to reporters on Monday that the U.S., Russia, and China are currently consulting on the possibility of holding trilateral talks to end the war in Ukraine. President Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, met with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy in Oslo, Norway, on Tuesday to discuss with leaders from Norway and Finland whether a peace agreement could be reached between Ukraine and Russia. After the talks, Zelenskyy stated that he is ready to negotiate and called for a trilateral meeting with Putin and President Trump. Witkoff will travel to Moscow on Wednesday. When asked for his views on the talks by reporters on Tuesday afternoon, President Trump stated in the Oval Office at the White House that he believes it is time for Ukraine and Russia to reach an agreement. Let's listen to what President Trump had to say. I think the current situation is that Russia wants to resolve this issue completely. Russia is like a giant machine that is constantly pushing forward, and that is indeed the case. They have occupied large swaths of land. Regardless of how you evaluate Ukraine's performance, the amount of land controlled by Russia is constantly expanding. They just keep pushing forward week after week, never stopping. They have an endless supply of human resources. Russia is a vast country with a large population and sufficient human resources, while Ukraine does not have as many human resources to deploy. Now is the time to reach an agreement.
In addition, when asked whether the U.S. and Russia are close to reaching an agreement to secure the release of Stephen Hubbard, a retired American teacher detained by Russia, President Trump stated that he had held in-depth conversations with Russian President Putin regarding the Hubbard case and had requested that Putin release him. Hubbard was sentenced to 6 years and 10 months in prison by a Russian court in October 2024 on charges of serving in the Ukrainian defense forces. "I have spoken with President Putin about Mr. Hubbard, and we talked at length. I have requested his release, so let's see what happens. Well, let's wait and see."
Just as the U.S. and Japan launched the Keen Sword 2027 joint military exercise this week, China has continued to increase its sea and air pressure around Taiwan. The Taiwanese military stated on Tuesday that it detected 27 sorties of People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, 21 of which crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, while Chinese coast guard vessels also entered restricted waters near the Pratas Islands. Meanwhile, the U.S. Navy littoral combat ship USS Charleston was tracked and monitored by the Chinese military on Tuesday in waters with disputed sovereignty in the South China Sea. Here is a report from VOA reporter Wang Yunhe.
Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration stated that it discovered Chinese Coast Guard vessel 3102 southeast of the Pratas Islands early Tuesday morning, immediately dispatched the Taichung ship to monitor it, and demanded the other party leave via Chinese and English broadcasts, leading to a brief standoff. Randall Schriver, chairman of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, stated on Tuesday that China's continued coast guard patrols in waters east of Taiwan are an extension of Beijing's political warfare against Taiwan, which seriously undermines regional stability. Taiwan also stated that on Sunday, it spotted 16 Chinese coast guard vessels, research ships, and fishing boats distributed in waters off the east, south, and southwest coasts of Taiwan and around the Pratas Islands. Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration dispatched vessels to monitor and expel them. In the air, Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense stated that starting at 10:43 a.m. on Tuesday, it detected 27 PLA aircraft, including J-10, J-11, J-16, JH-7, H-6, and KJ-500 models, 21 of which crossed the median line of the strait and entered Taiwan's northern, central, and southwestern air defense identification zones before heading to the Western Pacific for joint sea-air training and long-range flights. Regarding the South China Sea, the U.S. Navy's littoral combat ship USS Charleston was tracked and monitored by the Chinese military on Tuesday in waters with disputed sovereignty in the South China Sea. The U.S. consistently advocates for freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea, while China claims sovereignty over most of the region's waters. VOA has sought comment from the U.S. Navy and the State Department, but has not received a response as of press time.
Meanwhile, the opening ceremony for the U.S.-Japan Keen Sword 2027 joint exercise was held on Monday on Tanegashima Island, Japan, with participation from countries including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and the Philippines. Japan and the U.S. will also deploy advanced anti-ship and air defense systems on relevant islands, demonstrating the continued strengthening of military cooperation in the U.S.-Japan alliance. VOA report from Washington.
With less than two weeks remaining until the November 3rd U.S. midterm elections, the campaigns of both the Republican and Democratic parties have entered a white-hot stage. VOA has specially produced a series of reports to help you understand in simple terms what the U.S. midterm elections are actually about and what impact some key seats might have on U.S. politics. Let's take a look at the report.
President Trump won the presidential election in 2024, and two years later, in 2026, Americans will vote again. This time it is not for president, but this election could affect whether President Trump can smoothly push forward his policy agenda over the next two years. The U.S. president is elected every four years, but halfway through the presidential term, Americans hold another important election, which is the midterm election. From Congress to governors, to state legislatures and other state-level positions, many important offices are up for re-election at this time. Why is there another election two years after the president is elected? If you think of the U.S. government as a company, the president is very much like a CEO, but the CEO cannot decide everything alone. Many laws must pass through Congress, and how the government spends money cannot be separated from congressional appropriations. Congress is composed of two parts: the House of Representatives and the Senate. The House of Representatives has 435 seats, and the term of office is two years, so all seats are up for re-election every two years. The Senate has 100 seats, and the term of office is six years, with seats staggered for re-election; approximately one-third of the seats are up for re-election in each midterm election.
Why are the midterms so important? Because they are often seen as a midterm exam for the incumbent president. Two years into a president's term, voters can use the midterm elections to express their attitudes toward the president and his governance performance. Although the president will not step down as a result of the midterms, his party may lose control of the House of Representatives or the Senate. Once this happens, it may become more difficult for the president to advance agendas such as legislation and budgets, and oversight and investigations from Congress may also increase. Therefore, one of the major keys to the 2026 midterms is whether the Republican Party or the Democratic Party will control both houses of Congress, and the election results will directly affect the room for President Trump to push forward his governance agenda in the final two years of his term.
As the US midterms approach, how to guarantee the security of the election process has also become a focus of external attention. How exactly are ballots counted, and how are election results certified? Let us now connect with reporter Xu Xiangyun to give us a further introduction. Xiangyun.
Thank you, Dongning. We know that US elections are mainly managed by state and local governments rather than centrally organized and tallied by the federal government. Therefore, each state has its own laws and regulations regarding mail-in ballots, post-election audits, and result certification. After the polls close at the end of the election, local election officials will successively announce preliminary vote counts, which are unofficial figures. Even if the media shows that all polling stations in a certain district have reported results, it does not mean that the election process is fully complete. Therefore, there may be discrepancies between the figures announced on election night and the final official results. According to explanations released by the US Election Assistance Commission in July this year, ballot reconciliation still needs to be completed after the election. This process includes checking the total number of ballots against voting records, compiling election day votes, early votes, mail-in ballots, military and overseas voter ballots, and eligible provisional ballots to ensure that all valid ballots are counted. Most states also conduct some form of post-election audit to further check the accuracy of counting equipment and results. Some states adopt risk-limiting audits, evaluating whether the initial vote counts are reliable by checking a sample of ballots. Finally comes result certification, where relevant officials formally confirm that the results accurately reflect the valid ballots counted in the election.
So what mechanisms exist in the US to protect election security, and what risks need to be guarded against? Xiangyun.
We know that US election security involves not only whether voting equipment is reliable, but also the security of ballots throughout the handling process, the personal safety of election workers, cybersecurity, and whether the public can obtain accurate election information. The election security materials updated by the Election Assistance Commission on October 14 introduced common measures used by state and local election agencies, including pre- and post-election testing of voting equipment, restricting access to related systems, using tamper-evident seals and monitoring equipment, and using audits to verify vote counting results. During the ballot processing, election officials also need to document the receipt, transfer, custody, and counting process of ballots so that relevant records can be checked in the event of a dispute. The federal government also uses the Election Assistance Commission to set technical standards for voting equipment and to test and certify related systems. The Federal Bureau of Investigation also has a dedicated election crimes and security information page, reminding the public to verify information such as voting times, locations, and rules, and to report threats against election workers, as well as suspected voter suppression or the dissemination of false voting information. Thank you very much, Xiangyun, and please continue to follow our special reports on the midterms over the next two weeks. Thank you.
Well, Japan successfully launched a rocket carrying a Martian moon exploration probe on Tuesday, launching a five-year Martian moon exploration program. The goal of the program is to travel to Phobos, one of Mars's moons, take samples, and bring them back to Earth. Currently, both the US and China have successfully landed probes on Mars, but no country's probe has yet landed on a Martian moon. Let's learn more about what makes this Mars mission so special through a report by Voice of America reporter Liu Enming.
On October 20, local time in Japan, the H3 rocket No. 10, developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, was ready at the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture. The rocket carried the probe for the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission. It ignited and launched at 4:41:03 AM, successfully placing the probe into its intended orbit. The Martian Moons eXploration mission is a five-year project led by JAXA, involving collaboration with five global space agencies, including those from the United States. The plan involves landing a robotic probe and a rover on Phobos, the larger and closer of Mars' two small moons. Following the successful launch, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi posted on X, expressing her sincere wishes for the complete success of this historic feat and looking forward to the smooth realization of a sample return from the Martian system. Phobos is an irregularly shaped, potato-like rock with a diameter of about 22 kilometers. Studying its fragments will help reveal the origins of Martian moons and other celestial satellites. The probe weighs 5 tons and is expected to arrive at Mars by the end of next summer, entering an orbit synchronized with Phobos before releasing a rover named EDIFIX, which was 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, and no country has ever successfully brought back samples from Mars or its moons. VOA reporter Liu Enming reporting from Washington.
After a weekend of severe riots, Paris, France, temporarily returned to calm on Tuesday, with curfews remaining in effect in some areas. The French Prime Minister stated that large-scale military and police forces would be deployed to deal with a potential new round of demonstrations. French police continued the curfew on Tuesday, while protests across France last Saturday erupted into violence, with over 2,500 people arrested nationwide.