On September 22, US Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker spoke on the Senate floor, publicly opposing Trump giving a grand welcome to Xi Jinping, and urged Trump to raise issues such as Chinese military expansion, Taiwan, Iran, and human rights in Xinjiang during their talks.
On September 22, US Senate Democratic Whip Durbin spoke on the Senate floor, demanding that Trump raise the release of detainees such as Gulshan Abbas, Jimmy Lai, Gao Quanfu, Pang Yu, and Akbar Asat during his meeting with Xi Jinping.
An article reported that Bian Yuye, former chairman of Jiangsu Dafeng Rural Commercial Bank, was handcuffed behind her back and forced to slap herself over 800 times during her 168-day detention, losing over 30 kilograms. Her infant daughter, who was breastfeeding, was also detained. The article was subsequently deleted.
At 5 PM on September 22, Shi Tingfu was officially informed of his death from "myocardial infarction" at Shahe Prison in the First Division of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. His son received a call from the prison at 10:30 PM that night. The family claims he was in good condition during a recent visit. Chinese human rights defenders' network demands medical records and an independent investigation.
On the evening of September 20, Taiwanese Labor Minister Hung Sun-han arrived in Nanjing to attend the APEC Human Resources Development Ministerial Meeting held on the 21st. This is the first ministerial-level official to visit mainland China since the Lai Ching-te administration took office. The Mainland Affairs Council stated that he entered using the meeting invitation letter and did not need a Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents.
On September 21, official announcements stated that Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli were expelled from the Chinese Communist Party and the military due to serious violations of discipline and law.
On September 20, villagers in Shangliangkeng Village, Dapo Town, Gaozhou, Maoming, Guangdong, clashed with relevant personnel while trying to stop their crops from being forcibly cleared, resulting in one death and three injuries. On September 21, a large number of villagers went to the gate of the Dapo Town government to hang banners for rights defense, with a large number of law enforcement personnel maintaining order at the scene.
On September 20, a fire broke out at the factory of Xibulang Textile Company in Xibu District, Shunde, Foshan, Guangdong, with thick smoke billowing into the sky. As of September 21, the accident has resulted in 8 deaths and 1 injury, and emergency response operations are still underway.
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.
In January 2024, Shanghai entrepreneur Zheng Shuai was taken away by Shaoyang County police because his company developed VPN software. Citing financial difficulties, the police demanded 100 million yuan to "buy freedom." Although Zheng paid the money, he was still arrested. Currently, at least 64.8 million yuan has been credited to the Shaoyang County treasury. The case involves prolonged detention beyond statutory limits without a verdict, and the implicated Public Security Bureau Director Yin Xiangfeng and others were removed from office in July 2025.
The Political Bureau of the CCP Central Committee held a meeting, officially determining that the Fifth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee will be held in Beijing from October 26 to 29, and submitted the decision on exercising full and strict governance over the Party for deliberation.
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.
After experiencing health risks, Xi Jinping returned to the public eye on September 21 following his illness and immediately chaired a Politburo Standing Committee meeting. The meeting set the tone for comprehensive vetting and cracking down on potential dissidents and opposition forces within the party through ideological struggle and political line purges, aiming to prevent political turmoil triggered by sudden health crises.
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Trade Representative Katherine Tai held a day of talks with a delegation led by Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, paving the way for an upcoming summit between the leaders of the US and China.
The Political Bureau of the CCP Central Committee held a meeting ahead of schedule to completely expel Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli from the Party and the military, and transfer them to military procuratorial organs for review and prosecution.
U.S. Congress bipartisan lawmakers introduce a resolution, urging the Trump administration to prioritize the immediate unconditional release of Uyghur doctor Guli Xian Abbas, who has been forcibly disappeared by the Chinese government for eight years.
The Chinese Communist Party announced that the Fifth Plenum of the Central Committee will be convened at the end of October, personally chaired by Xi Jinping, with the agenda to study major issues concerning the persistent advancement of comprehensive strict Party governance.
He Lifeng first went to the United States to negotiate with US Treasury Secretary Bessent; the talks are expected to continue until September 23, and Xi Jinping will depart for the United States thereafter.
It was officially announced that Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to the United States from September 23 to 25, with an itinerary including a tour of the National Archives and attendance at a state dinner.
On September 21, the CCP Politburo meeting reviewed and approved disciplinary decisions for Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli, both of whom were expelled from the Party and the military, and their suspected criminal matters were transferred to the military procuratorial organ for investigation and prosecution.
On September 21, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Commission of Supervision announced that Qin Weizhong, member of the Leading Party Group of the Standing Committee of the Guangdong Provincial People's Congress and former mayor of Shenzhen, is suspected of serious violations of discipline and law, and is currently undergoing disciplinary review and supervisory investigation.
Reports on September 21 showed that the unemployment rate among non-student youth aged 16 to 24 in China rose to 18.9%, amid a continuing economic downturn. Although multiple economists have warned that AI is unlikely to drive employment, Beijing still plans to invest approximately $295 billion over the next five years to build a national data center network. Xi Jinping emphasized the importance of focusing on "hard power" rather than just GDP.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Xi Jinping was absent from the BRICS summit banquet due to illness, and Wang Yi attended on his behalf.
The US Department of State has approved a foreign military sale of air defense systems to Ukraine, including S-300 clone missiles, with a total estimated value of up to $2.68 billion.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi arrived in New York late at night on September 21, planning to hold talks with Trump on September 22. The visit aims to coordinate stances on China ahead of a US-China summit and discuss the burden of US military stationing costs in Japan.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Xi Jinping views Trump's second term as a rare window of opportunity for Taiwan work, attempting to advance reunification without waging war by weakening U.S.-Taiwan mutual trust and conducting cognitive warfare.
According to The New York Times on September 21, Xi Jinping will meet Trump in Washington this week, and the summit is expected to focus on continuing the trade truce and managing differences over Taiwan, artificial intelligence, and other issues.
On September 21, Foreign Policy published an article pointing out that Chinese open-source models such as Qwen, owing to their low cost, local deployability, and strong support for non-Latin scripts, have significantly outperformed Meta Llama in downloads across Global South markets, creating technological dependence.
On September 20, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on social media that the Security Service of Ukraine, Unmanned Systems Forces, and Special Operations Forces, among other departments, jointly launched a large-scale long-range drone strike against the Moscow region the previous night, successfully hitting critical Russian petroleum industrial facilities and logistical bases.
On September 18, the Cyberspace Administration of China issued a notice requiring platforms to clean up negative information inconsistent with official corporate statements, and categorized behaviors such as parodying corporate logos, products, and entrepreneurs' portraits as false and misleading handling scopes, demanding platforms to implement whole-process audits and strict handling of enterprise-related information.
On September 19, The Wall Street Journal reported that Xi Jinping temporarily cancelled his attendance at the BRICS summit banquet held in New Delhi, India on September 12 due to physical discomfort, with Foreign Minister Wang Yi attending on his behalf. Official Beijing has not provided an explanation for the absence, prompting outside concerns regarding his health status and power succession, though currently there is no evidence indicating he is seriously ill.
The White House announced that Xi Jinping will visit the United States from September 23 to 25. During his visit, he will hold talks with Trump, attend a state banquet, and, accompanied by Trump on the 25th, tour the U.S. National Archives to view the original copies of the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.
As of September 20, Xi Jinping has not made a public appearance for seven consecutive days. With his scheduled visit to Maryland's Andrews Air Force Base in the United States approaching in a few days, Xinhua News Agency and major Party media outlets have unusually published no articles regarding US-China friendship or exchanges over the past week, triggering external speculation about Xi Jinping's health and high-level political trends.
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.
On the final day of the Russian parliamentary elections, the skies over Moscow were hit by a large-scale drone attack. An oil refinery in the Moscow Oblast caught fire, billowing black smoke, and the area near the Kremlin was also affected.
On September 20, China and the US held 8-hour economic and trade talks in New York. The two sides announced the establishment of an AI dialogue mechanism and a new bilateral trade mechanism, but the US side made it clear that export controls on advanced AI chips and semiconductor equipment are not on the negotiating agenda.
The Beijing airspace control department issued Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) A4484/26, announcing the activation of a 24/7 long-term no-fly zone centered on Beijing with a 300-kilometer radius starting from September 20, covering Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei as well as parts of Shanxi, Shandong, Inner Mongolia, and Liaoning.
On September 17, the Financial Times reported that the EU has asked China to restrict exports of hybrid vehicles to Europe, setting a 15% market share cap. EU officials warned that if Beijing fails to cooperate voluntarily, the EU will take mandatory restrictive measures aimed at protecting domestic European industries from shocks.
Between late 2025 and early 2026, Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli were plotted against and confirmed to be taken down. Subsequently, in late August 2026, the National People's Congress explicitly relieved Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli of their positions as deputies to the NPC and members of the Central Military Commission, among other posts, drawing external attention to the rift between the military and the central leadership.
Between August 2024 and February 2025, a South Korean Army soldier repeatedly leaked non-public information, such as South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises and South Korean military training, to an individual claiming to be a Chinese intelligence officer, receiving a total of 88,000 RMB. In August 2026, the South Korean Supreme Court upheld the second-instance ruling, sentencing him to 4 years in prison, along with fines and the confiscation of illegal proceeds.
On September 17, the European Parliament passed a resolution by an overwhelming majority condemning the Hong Kong National Security Law and the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance for causing the collapse of freedom, calling on the EU to sanction relevant officials, and demanding the release of political prisoners including Jimmy Lai, Lee Cheuk-yan, Chow Hang-tung, Albert Ho, and Wong Ji-yuet.
Between 1950 and 1953, China dispatched troops to support North Korea against South Korea and the United Nations Command, becoming one of the major external wars China participated in after 1949.
At the Tsinghua Wudaokou Chief Economists Forum, four scholars—Lin Yifu, Yu Yongding, Yao Yang, and Li Xunlei—concentrated their efforts to call on the central government to adopt expansionary fiscal policies and bail out local government debt.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) official announced that Vice Premier He Lifeng will travel to the United States to negotiate with U.S. Treasury Secretary Baisente, and the news has sparked speculation abroad about whether Xi Jinping will visit the United States.
Russia launched airstrikes on Ukraine from the night of September 17 to the early morning of September 18, hitting Zhytomyr, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Odesa, resulting in three deaths, multiple injuries, and several fires. Meanwhile, voting began on Friday for the first State Duma parliamentary elections since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Min Zin, director of a Myanmar think tank, was arrested in June while attending an academic conference in Kunming, charged with espionage and endangering state security. His wife, Sylvia, testified before the U.S. Congress on September 17, calling on Trump to secure her husband's release during his meeting with Xi Jinping next week.
US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are scheduled to hold talks at the White House on September 24. This will be the second face-to-face meeting between the two heads of state this year, drawing attention from bipartisan lawmakers in Congress regarding national security, trade, human rights, Iran, and other issues.
On September 17, Reuters cited sources reporting that, at the request of Saudi Arabia, China privately asked Iran to use its influence to restrain Yemen's Houthi armed forces to prevent their military operations from threatening the Red Sea energy transportation corridor. Iran responded that regional stability depends on US and Israeli policies, and it remains unclear whether Iran will take action.
On September 16, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated in an interview with Japan's NHK in Kyiv that China has not remained neutral in the Russia-Ukraine war, and that Chinese-made components are present in the missiles and drones used by the Russian military. Zelenskyy believes that China has massive influence over Russia, yet has seen no pressure from the Chinese side to end the war, and expressed regret that China has not politically stood on Ukraine's side.
On September 18, while the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources government vessel BRP Datu Magat Salamat was carrying out a mission in the waters off Palawan, it was rammed by China Coast Guard ship 21585, resulting in damage to the Philippine ship's starboard side. The Philippine side accused China of a deliberate collision, while the Chinese side claimed the Philippine vessel made an illegal diagonal cut causing a scrape, and insisted its own operation was lawful.