The Saudi Central Bank withdrew from the mBridge project in May 2025 after completing a proof of concept. The project had previously been seen as a potential pathway for Saudi Arabia to promote oil trade with reduced reliance on the U.S. dollar. Despite its withdrawal, some media outlets continued to list Saudi Arabia as a participant as late as August 2026.
On September 20, over 80 workers from the Longhu Sanqianji project in Chenghua District, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, sat on the ground downstairs to demand unpaid wages collectively and engage in rights defense due to wage arrears by the developer and the construction contractor, Qingrui Decoration Company.
On September 18, in a student group chat, a counselor at Dalian Maritime University responded to a student asking if military training assembly times could be announced in advance by saying, "Those who are unsatisfied with the college's arrangements can come to me to process their withdrawal."
On September 20, a car crash occurred at the Beiguo Xiantianxia Shopping Mall in Baoding City, Hebei Province, causing damage to mall facilities. The High-Tech Zone Detachment of the Traffic Management Branch of the Baoding Public Security Bureau subsequently issued a notice stating that the accident was caused by the driver's improper operation, which caused the vehicle to go out of control.
The Ministry of Education released the "Management Measures for Primary and Secondary School Leadership Personnel," stipulating that having taught in rural and weak schools for more than 3 years will be a priority condition for the selection of school leaders, and encouraging leaders of quality urban schools to exchange, take up posts, and study in rural schools.
On September 20, Bailuo Cleaning Company in Yuhua District, Changsha City, Hunan Province, owed sanitation workers four months of wages, leading a large number of employees to strike and go to the company headquarters to collectively demand unpaid wages and defend their rights.
On September 19, a Chinese citizen in Russia was asked to pay a fine of 100,000 rubles on the grounds of a residency registration issue during a local police check. Although the person stated that the landlord had already handled the registration, the police insisted on either paying the fine or being taken to the police station.
On September 19, science popularization blogger Heshenbao published an article reviewing his experience as a docent at the National Museum from 2011 to 2021, pointing out that dispatched labor employees and officially budgeted staff receive unequal pay for equal work, and promotion channels are limited. He criticized the system for shifting fiscal costs onto the ideals of young people, depleting employees' drive, and called for fulfilling corresponding obligations based on one's employment status.
On September 20, at the Longtan Industrial Park in Bobai, Yulin, Guangxi, 7 workers who had been owed over 500,000 yuan in back pay for nearly 5 years by Yulin Yongda Fire Protection Engineering Co., Ltd. hung a banner in front of the company branch to demand their unpaid wages.
On September 18, after the completion of a project by Zhengzhou Engineering Co., Ltd. of China Railway Seventh Group in Zhengzhou, Henan, it was accused of defaulting on workers' wages. Multiple workers went to the company to collectively defend their rights and demand payment of arrears.
On September 19, two men hung blue tarps printed with slogans such as "Please stop animal abuse" on both sides of a truck, calling for legislation to protect stray animals through public welfare promotion, and stated they would persist in their actions without fearing pressure.
On September 15, a blogger posted a video recounting how, after their father's death, their aunt arranged a ghost marriage for him, and their grandmother's grave was illegally excavated, with her remains sold for a ghost marriage. In the comments section, multiple netizens described their own relatives' remains being stolen and sold or being forced into ghost marriages, exposing the vicious custom in some regions of treating female corpses as commodities.
On September 19, a sudden mudslide near the Shijiagou Tunnel in Zhiliuhe Village, Gesala Township, Yanyuan County, Panzhihua City, Sichuan Province, resulted in 2 deaths and 3 missing persons. Rescue operations are currently underway.
On September 19, videos posted by netizens showed that the bottom of the foundation piles of an expressway bridge pier in Luodian County, Qiannan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province, were severely hollowed out, with multiple load-bearing steel bars exposed and heavily rusted, sparking public concern over the safety of transportation infrastructure.
On September 20, Shangguan Zhengyi posted that at a ton-bag yard in Shiti Village, Xixia County, Nanyang, Henan, a mute woman with deformed hands had been doing hard labor there for many years. The local aid station had intervened a month ago, but her relatives have not yet been found, and her labor compensation and background remain under investigation.
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.
According to Bloomberg, China is planning to invest approximately $295 billion over the next five years to build a national data center network. Xi Jinping emphasized that the focus should be on "hard power" and "new quality productive forces" rather than just GDP growth. Despite warnings from multiple economists that AI is unlikely to boost employment and could weaken consumption, officials continue to push forward with the investment plan, sparking public concern over an "AI Great Leap Forward".
On September 21, a fifth-grade female student at Mingtian School in Shenxian, Liaocheng, Shandong Province, died on campus. Family members questioned the school for delaying medical treatment, concealing her condition, and obstructing access to surveillance footage. A large crowd gathered at the school gate to defend their rights, and police and SWAT police were dispatched to maintain order.
Instead of focusing on GDP, look at “hard power”: youth unemployment rate is 18.9%, AI continues its great leap forward. On September 21, The New York Times reported that while the unemployment rate for non‑student Chinese youth aged 16‑24 has risen to 18.9% and consumption and real estate remain sluggish, Beijing is still preparing to pour massive resources into artificial intelligence. Bloomberg previously said China is planning to invest about $295 billion over the next five years to build… #Xi Jinping
September 21, Guangxi Yulin Beiliu City Guanhe (Beiliu) Toy Co., Ltd delayed employee wages, and many employees gathered at the factory gate, raising banners to demand unpaid wages. #InternationalRelations
Following Wang Zhongwei's protest in Washington, D.C. against Xi Jinping's visit to the US, his family in China was harassed by the police under the guise of persuasion.
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.
Chongqing University of Technology issued an announcement stating that Li resigned in July 2025 and is no longer a teacher at the school. It also explained the police's decision not to file a case and the procuratorate's review.
September 21, a netizen posted that Jiangsu Hailan Home strictly inspected employees' shoe racks; because the heel of a pair of shoes on a rack protruded beyond the edge, the manager called it "protruding" and demanded "the correction be completed and inspected before 12 noon". The employee then cut off the protruding part of the shoe heel with scissors and replied in the group: "Report to the squad leader, the protruding part of the shoe has been corrected." Netizens in the comment section said "I didn't know... #InternationalRelations"
On September 21, the National Immigration Administration announced the nationwide rollout of online processing for accommodation registration of foreigners staying outside of hotels. Foreigners renting apartments or staying with friends and family can now report through apps and payment platforms.
Beijing announced that starting November 15, except under special security circumstances, the possession and storage of drones and their core components are prohibited.
On September 21, Cambodian authorities led the media on an on-site visit to Scam Compound No. 8 in Prey Veng Province. Covering an area of about 120 hectares and capable of holding up to 20,000 people, the compound features office buildings, surveillance equipment, and Chinese-language workplace slogans.
On September 21, due to four years of unpaid wages for migrant workers at the Zhaotong Sunac Jiutangfu project, workers dismantled the previously installed aluminum panel materials on-site, with multiple law enforcement officers and workers present to observe.
On September 21, bus drivers in Gaobeidian, Hebei Province, gathered at the depot gate to strike and protest after going eight months without pay. Multiple buses were parked at the scene.
On September 21, 2026, WeiJun Zhang, a member of the Chinese Democracy Party International Alliance, stated on X that after he went to Washington to protest Xi Jinping's visit to the US, his family members in China received multiple phone calls and were sent a "guarantee letter" via WeChat, demanding they sign it and fill in their ID numbers.
On September 21, a large number of villagers from Cao Wang Town, Boxing County, Binzhou City, Shandong Province, gathered at the town government to protest the village secretary of Cao Er Village selling hundreds of mu of land without the villagers' knowledge. Villagers and security personnel clashed physically at the scene, and one person was carried onto an ambulance.
On September 21, at the breakfast canteen of the passenger car plant of CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles Co., Ltd. in Changchun, Jilin Province, an incident of refusing cash occurred. Netizens reported that using cash to pay at the canteen was refused. After the on-site manager called the store manager for instructions, they still explicitly refused to accept cash.
On September 21, multiple workers of Jining Land Development Group in Jining City, Shandong Province, went to the group's lobby to defend their rights against unpaid wages, demanding the person in charge to come forward and resolve the payment issue.
On September 21, in Tianjin, an elderly person fell on the roadside. Passersby, worried about being scammed or falsely accused, did not step forward to help. The elderly person attempted to get up by themselves multiple times without success.
When an adult netizen in Zhejiang was applying for a Hong Kong and Macau pass, staff members required them to call their parents for confirmation and fill out an "explanatory statement" containing terms such as bearing all consequences of traveling abroad.
A primary school student in Shandong Province was caught running on campus by a student cadre "Red Scarf Little Steward" and was subsequently forced to write a self-criticism letter promising never to run again.
Netizens left sarcastic comments under People’s Daily's Bilibili account regarding Zhao Lijian's past remarks on drones. Currently, the comment section for the video has been restricted.
Cyberspace Administration of Qinghai released a statement stating that the recently circulated claim online that the "former Qinghai Culture and Tourism Department director is driving a rideshare" is untrue, and the driver in the video is a local Xining rideshare driver named Mr. Bai.
Hunan University of Science and Technology has set up on-campus stations to compulsorily require incoming freshmen to get crew cuts, sparking strong public criticism and sarcasm regarding campus management practices.
On September 21, in a certain place of Zhejiang, an elderly person with double-arm disability survived by scavenging, only able to open and rummage through trash cans with his feet; the related comment section was subsequently restricted from commenting.
On September 21, multiple netizens in Guangdong reported that, without contacting any strangers, their mobile phones continuously received dozens of early warning text messages from the Shenzhen Public Security Bureau anti-fraud center in a short period. Officials subsequently responded that it was caused by a system malfunction.