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 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, Chinese writer Lian Yue, currently residing in Japan, published an article on his WeChat official account attacking Lianhe Zaobao's report on the attack against a Japanese boy in Shenzhen. He hurled insults at Singapore, calling it a base country, criticizing its stance on China-U.S. and Taiwan Strait issues, and claiming Singapore should tightly embrace China.
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.
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.
On September 18, Reuters cited anonymous sources stating that Beijing had proposed holding a China-US CEO roundtable during Xi Jinping's visit to the US, but it was rejected by the White House. Sources revealed that the accompanying Chinese executives are expected to attend the White House state dinner, but will not meet with US think tanks or business groups. The White House declined to comment, and the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated it had no information on the matter.
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 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.
In early August, an explosive-laden attack drone targeting Ukrainian transport planes suddenly appeared near Leipzig/Halle Airport in Germany and was subsequently shot down by the German military. Following an investigation confirming that Russia was responsible, Germany announced the expulsion of dozens of diplomatic personnel from the Russian Consulate General in Bonn, triggering a diplomatic storm of mutual expulsions of diplomats between the two countries.
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.
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.