The 52nd G7 Summit was held in France, and the meeting issued a joint statement opposing any unilateral attempts to change the status quo, especially opposing any attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion in the East China Sea, the South China Sea, and the Taiwan Strait.
Chinese Vice President Han Zheng attended the general debate of the 81st United Nations General Assembly and met with the UN Secretary-General, the President of the General Assembly, and leaders of other countries. He will elaborate on China's views on the international situation, regional issues, and the work of the United Nations, emphasize true multilateralism, and call for strengthening the authority of the United Nations and reforming global governance.
China will host a high-level dialogue at the UN headquarters marking the fifth anniversary of the Global Development Initiative, aiming to promote the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Chinese Foreign Ministry stated that over the past five years, the initiative has mobilized more than $23 billion and implemented over 2,000 cooperation projects.
US President Trump delivered his sixth speech in office at the 81st United Nations General Assembly, focusing on the strength of the US economy, border security, national sovereignty, and the "America First" policy. He specifically addressed the Iran issue, reiterating that Iran would never be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons, and criticized Iran's support for regional conflicts. The speech also touched upon policies toward countries such as Venezuela and Cuba, as well as perspectives on the development of artificial intelligence (superintelligence).
US President Trump delivered a speech at the UN General Assembly, emphasizing American strength and confronting the common enemy of all mankind, issuing stern warnings against Iran, nuclear proliferation, and geopolitical challenges.
Brazilian President Lula delivered a speech at the 81st UN General Assembly, criticizing the United Nations for failing to effectively stop wars and pointing out that the Security Council failed to play its role. He emphasized the importance of diplomacy, and discussed the Middle East conflict, the Russia-Ukraine war, and Brazil's position in international affairs.
Trump officially signed a milestone security agreement on Greenland with the Prime Minister of Denmark and the Prime Minister of Greenland, expanding the permanent U.S. military presence in the Arctic and excluding non-NATO countries from establishing bases.
Taiwan Executive Yuan Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han visited Nanjing, China from September 20 to 22 to attend the Human Resources Development Ministerial Meeting. After returning to Taiwan, he stated that he was not belittled.
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 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 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.
On September 20, North Korea fired an unidentified projectile toward the Sea of Japan. Subsequently, North Korean state media announced the successful testing of a new important combat weapon system and released photos.
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.