Besente · Full chronicle and history

The White House has announced detailed arrangements for Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the US, including President Trump personally going to Andrews Joint Base to greet him, holding a welcoming ceremony and state dinner at the White House, and the leaders of the two countries and their spouses will visit the US National Archives together.

The US Department of the Treasury announced that starting September 23, it will completely cut off the global operations of Iran's airlines, denying landing and fueling services, and will impose sanctions such as SWIFT expulsion on external entities assisting Iran.

Execution actions such as the first round of executive branch determinations, rulemakings, and sanctions lists mandated by the Graham Act will be completed within thirty days of signing.

Data from the General Administration of Customs of China shows that China's exports of rare earth magnets to the U.S. in August fell 21% from July to 512 tons. Ahead of a meeting between Trump and Xi, outside analysts suggest the Chinese side may use the expansion of rare earth exports as a negotiating chip. In addition, U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng held a meeting on trade and artificial intelligence issues, and both sides agreed to further consultations.

Xinhua News Agency officially released a press release on September 21 at Beijing time, confirming that Chinese top leader Xi Jinping will pay a two-day state visit to the United States from September 23 to 25. Previously, Xi Jinping had not made a public appearance for seven consecutive days.

According to reports on September 21, Chinese state-owned enterprises ordered about 260,000 tons of U.S. soybeans last week, scheduled for shipment between December and next January, bringing total purchases for the current marketing season to nearly 13 million tons.

On September 20, 2026, US Treasury Secretary Bessent and US Trade Representative Greer held talks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng at JPMorgan Chase headquarters in New York. The two sides discussed issues including trade, artificial intelligence safety, and rare earth supplies, preparing for the Trump-Xi summit to be held next week.

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te inspected a joint land‑sea‑air missile drill that included drones, stressing that the combined use of unmanned platforms and conventional weapons is a response to modern warfare and demonstrating the armed forces' confidence in defending the homeland.

The Federal Reserve voted unanimously on Wednesday to raise the federal benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to between 3.75% and 4%, marking the first hike in three years, aimed at addressing inflation pressures and uncertainties stemming from geopolitical tensions, with most officials planning another rate increase later this year.

The first two MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones sold by the United States to Taiwan conducted their maiden test flights in Taiwan's eastern airspace on September 14. This model possesses real-time search and patrol capabilities both above and below the sea surface, with a monitoring radius of approximately 360 kilometers.

U.S. President Trump said on social media that a Ukrainian drone attack caused a Russian diesel refinery to be bombed and temporarily shut down, and he said the war must end.

Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 450 drones were shot down, and a Moscow refinery and a residential building were damaged, resulting in three deaths.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Bastian said the talks with China on artificial intelligence, trade and other issues were very successful, and both sides agreed to establish an AI dialogue mechanism and plan to meet again.

Reporters Without Borders released a report exposing how China uses media diplomacy and other strategies to export an authoritarian information control model abroad, aiming to amplify its own narrative and marginalize unfavorable information.

Several U.S. lawmakers said that a meeting between U.S. and Chinese leaders would help prevent misunderstandings, clarify the United States' stance on national and economic security issues, and emphasized the need to remain strategically vigilant.

The report of the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission notes that China is Iran's most important economic lifeline, providing revenue by purchasing Iranian oil and supplying components for its war machines.

Analysts note that the Taiwan issue could become a strategic test for President Trump to maintain the deterrence balance across the Taiwan Strait while stabilizing US‑China relations, and they are watching indicators such as arms sales to Taiwan, policy statements, and military pressure.

The UK Maritime Safety Agency reported that an oil tanker entering the Strait of Hormuz was hit by an unidentified projectile, causing minor injuries to two crew members. International oil prices fell slightly at the time of the attack.

The U.S. Central Command said that in the past few months it has helped more than 2,000 merchant vessels pass through the Strait of Hormuz and has prevented Iran from exporting oil. As of September 20, it has rerouted 109 merchant vessels to ensure compliance with the blockade order.

Ukrainian President Zelensky responded to Trump's remarks, saying the war must end, and looks forward to meeting Trump during this week's UN General Assembly in New York.

Ukrainian President Zelensky said that Russia attacked Zaporozhye on Sunday evening, hitting an apartment building, a university and a shopping centre, injuring five people.

The national emergency services department of the Kharkiv region reported that a drone attacked a residential house, killing a 45-year-old woman and seriously injuring her 13-year-old son.