Four months after the last meeting between the leaders of the United States and China, Xi Jinping entered Washington with China's trade engine operating at full speed while Donald Trump faced declining domestic support. The shift in momentum has lowered expectations for the September 24 summit, analysts say, with Xi showing little urgency to offer concessions and Trump limited by a costly conflict with Iran that has strained both his popularity and American households.

The primary agenda of the summit centers on whether the two leaders will agree to extend a trade truce established in 2025 that prevented a major disruption to the global economy. "Xi is not seeking concrete concessions. He wants to prolong the informal understanding with Trump to give China time to strengthen its position," said Jon Czin, a foreign policy analyst at the Brookings Institution who previously served as China director at the US National Security Council.

White House officials have indicated that major breakthroughs are unlikely. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng conducted preparatory talks in New York on September 20 to lay the groundwork for potential agreements on artificial intelligence safeguards and trade in non-sensitive goods. This represents a marked departure from Trump's 2025 campaign promise to use tariffs to reverse what he described as a trade relationship "killing" the United States.

Since the 2025 truce, Trump's focus has been divided across multiple foreign policy challenges, including conflicts in Iran and Ukraine and disputes with Europe over free speech. Meanwhile, China has contended with slowing domestic demand and a prolonged property market downturn, yet its export sector has continued to expand what economists now refer to as China Shock 2.0. The country is on track to record a trade surplus exceeding $1 trillion for the second consecutive year.

More than half of the approximately 6,500 product categories China shipped to the United States this year have shown growth compared to 2025, despite US efforts to restrict low-cost items purchased by online retailers such as Shein and Temu. A delegation of Chinese business leaders, including firms under US regulatory scrutiny as they seek expanded market access, is expected to accompany Xi to Washington.

"The Trump administration believed they could apply unilateral pressure to extract concessions from China, but that strategy did not succeed," said Scott Kennedy, an expert on US-China economic relations at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "Now this is Xi Jinping's world, and we're all living in it."

Taiwan and trade considerations may also feature in discussions. US allies in Asia have expressed concern that Xi may leverage the summit to encourage Trump to reduce support for Taiwan, the self-governing island claimed by Beijing. During a meeting in Beijing in May, Xi questioned Trump about arms sales to Taiwan and the US commitment to its defense, according to Trump's public statements. The administration is reportedly considering a $14 billion arms package for Taiwan as a potential bargaining element.

Some officials in Taipei and Tokyo worry that Trump might use the package to secure political advantages ahead of the November midterm elections, which could benefit his Republican Party. Possible concessions could include increased Chinese purchases of Boeing aircraft or agricultural products, or commitments to limit the flow of fentanyl precursor chemicals linked to the US opioid crisis.

"US-China relations have become increasingly transactional," observed Wu Xinbo, a professor at Fudan University who advises China's foreign ministry. While Washington prioritizes trade negotiations, Beijing views the US approach to Taiwan as a critical factor. "If you address our concerns regarding Taiwan, we would be prepared to accommodate your interests in other areas, such as law enforcement or agricultural procurement," Wu stated.

Washington also sees Xi as a key figure in efforts to pressure Iran to end its military involvement, which has contributed to declining approval ratings for Trump. However, Beijing has shown limited willingness to intervene. Earlier in September, Reuters reported that China is facilitating billions of dollars in goods exports to Iran through mechanisms that circumvent US sanctions. The Chinese foreign ministry has denied knowledge of such a scheme.

US threats of secondary sanctions on entities engaging with Iran, described by Treasury Secretary Bessent as an "Economic D-Day," have not yet been enforced against China, the largest trading partner of Iran. Analysts interpret this restraint as evidence that both leaders benefit from maintaining stability in their bilateral relationship, allowing them to focus on other priorities.

"Both Xi and Trump find it advantageous to preserve relationship stability so they can concentrate on more urgent matters," said Ruby Osman, a senior geopolitical researcher at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change. "For Trump, that matter is Iran. For Xi, it is building domestic resilience for the period following Trump's presidency."

The summit will take place at the White House on September 24, with Xi scheduled to meet Trump alongside a delegation of Chinese business representatives. The event occurs against a backdrop of complex economic interdependence and geopolitical tension, with both nations navigating competing priorities while maintaining a relationship shaped by mutual constraints and interdependence.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a commitment to deepen bilateral cooperation during a joint appearance in Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, a French overseas territory in the Atlantic Ocean.

The visit marked the first time a French president had traveled to the islands since 2014 and the first visit by a Canadian prime minister. It occurred shortly after former U.S. President Donald Trump shared an image depicting the United States flag covering North America, including Canada and French territories.

Both leaders emphasized the need to strengthen ties in response to shared challenges, including climate change, democratic erosion, and threats to national sovereignty. Macron stated that France and Canada aligned on principles such as democracy, the rule of law, free trade, scientific inquiry, and strategic autonomy.

The discussions covered collaboration in areas such as space exploration, climate initiatives, and energy. Macron highlighted the potential for Canadian liquefied natural gas projects to support European energy needs, suggesting they could serve as an alternative to Asian markets.

Canada has been pursuing closer economic integration with the European Union amid growing trade tensions with the United States. The EU had previously proposed granting Canada associate member status, a move Macron said France supported. However, the proposal has faced delays, with several EU member states, including France, yet to ratify the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement despite its provisional application beginning nearly a decade ago.

When questioned about Trump’s flag imagery, Macron rejected the notion that Saint-Pierre and Miquelon could not remain French, stating that daily reaffirmations of sovereignty were unnecessary despite what he described as “strange ideas or statements.”

The territory’s strategic location near the United States and its role in Arctic and transatlantic affairs were cited as factors in its importance to Franco-Canadian cooperation. Macron indicated that the meeting had opened pathways for concrete agreements, particularly in energy and trade.

Trump had previously threatened the EU with significant tariffs in response to its proposed associate membership for Canada, calling the idea “laughable.” Any advancement in EU-Canada relations is expected to encounter procedural and political obstacles given the current state of ratification within the bloc.

U.N. ambassador Mike Waltz declined to set a timetable for the conclusion of the U.S.-led campaign against Iran, which has persisted for nearly seven months despite the administration’s earlier prediction of a four- to five‑week resolution. In an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union, Waltz said the naval blockade was intended to increase economic pressure on Tehran, while Iranian officials maintained that any cessation of hostilities required Washington to meet their demands, including the release of frozen assets and an end to the blockade.

During the interview, anchor Dana Bash referenced a September 9 Wall Street Journal report indicating that senior White House aides had discussed the possibility of the conflict extending through the remainder of the president’s term, which ends in January 2029. Waltz replied that he would not assign a specific end date.

The remarks coincided with renewed Houthi attacks on Saudi territory. On Saturday, the Iran‑aligned militia struck near Riyadh’s international airport, prompting a ballistic missile interception by Saudi forces. The Saudi military confirmed the incident, and the U.S. State Department issued a security alert restricting travel for embassy personnel to the cities of Taif and Yanbu, which have been targeted in recent Houthi operations.

Houthi forces have intensified a ground offensive along the Red Sea coast, seizing territory around the Bab al‑Mandab Strait, a critical conduit for maritime traffic carrying vehicles, oil and other goods. Analysts note that these actions heighten the risk of broader economic disruption and could exacerbate energy price volatility.

Across the Arabian Peninsula, the Strait of Hormuz remains a flashpoint in the U.S.–Iran rivalry, a waterway through which a substantial share of global oil and gas shipments pass.

Domestically, concerns over inflation and the prolonged Iran conflict have contributed to declining poll numbers for former President Donald Trump ahead of the November 3 U.S. midterm elections, complicating Republican efforts to retain control of Congress. During a rally in North Carolina, Trump asserted that the war would end “very soon” and that Iran seeks to negotiate, while also warning that any U.S. misstep could provoke “painful attacks” from Tehran, as stated by Iran’s Supreme National Security Council secretary Mohsen Rezaei on social media.

Rezaei’s statement emphasized that the United States must address Tehran’s conditions to extricate itself from the current predicament.

The United Nations ended its decade‑long peacekeeping mission in Mali in June 2023, completing the withdrawal by year’s end. The operation, known as MINUSMA, had been the organization’s most visible presence in the Sahel since its creation by the Security Council in 2013. Its departure marked the close of a chapter in which UN troops provided security and political support across the region.

Although the uniformed mission ceased, the UN’s engagement did not stop. The UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) continued to operate as a political mission, while the broader UN system maintained humanitarian and development activities. The shift reflects a change in the operating environment, driven by recent moves among three Sahelian states.

In January 2025, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger formally left the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The same trio later formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), emphasizing sovereignty and strategic autonomy as central goals. Their exit altered regional structures that had previously coordinated political and security responses, leaving ECOWAS and other bodies to navigate a more fragmented landscape.

Humanitarian conditions remain volatile. Displacement, insecurity, food shortages and climate‑related stresses continue to affect populations across borders, even as national governments assert greater control over their own security policies. The UN now operates in a context where traditional peacekeeping tools are limited and where regional alliances are reshaping security dynamics.

Analysts note that the UN’s leverage has narrowed. Mubarak Aliyu, a security analyst based in Nigeria, observed that the AES states have removed mechanisms that once gave external actors influence, replacing them with their own confederation and joint forces. “The influence the UN can actually exercise is narrow,” he said.

In February 2026, the Security Council extended UNOWAS’s mandate until January 31, 2029, while ordering an independent strategic review to be completed by September 30, 2026. The review comes as West Africa’s political terrain is being reshaped by military governments, new regional partnerships and a heightened focus on national sovereignty. Russia’s growing role in the region adds another layer of complexity; its Africa Corps has supported Mali and Niger’s military administrations in ways that the UN was not equipped to address, primarily as regime protection rather than counterinsurgency.

Kabir Adamu, founder of a security consultancy in Abuja, argues that the UN should pivot away from large troop deployments toward diplomatic and development‑focused solutions. “Looking ahead, the UN’s priorities in the Sahel should promote effective security sector governance and reform,” he said. “This will mean shifting from traditional, large‑scale peacekeeping to deeper preventive strategies that address the root causes of fragility, conflict and violence.”

The fragmented security architecture suggests that the UN should work through existing regional mechanisms rather than create its own forces. Adamu recommends that the organization prioritize inclusive mediation to bridge divides between Sahelian and coastal states, while supporting alternative frameworks such as the Multinational Joint Task Force and the Accra Initiative.

Problems in the Sahel have not disappeared with the withdrawal of peacekeepers. Displacement, armed violence, organized crime, food insecurity and climate pressures continue to intersect, especially where state institutions remain weak. Climate change does not single‑handedly cause instability, but environmental and economic stresses can exacerbate vulnerabilities in already fragile communities.

Humanitarian work remains a key avenue for UN involvement. The organization continues to facilitate dialogue, support aid operations and raise awareness of regional crises, even when host governments reject large‑scale military interventions. Emphasis is placed on strengthening local and regional capacities, integrating climate‑peace initiatives and ensuring that assistance is flexible and locally owned.

The 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly convened on September 8, 2026, with its general debate scheduled to begin on September 22. The session takes place without a UN peacekeeping mission in Mali and with Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger outside ECOWAS, while the AES operates as a separate political framework. Observers say this context positions the UN more as an advocate and service provider than as a decisive shaper of outcomes. “It can report, brief, fund aid operations and press for access, but it cannot compel it or offer the regime security that has made Russia indispensable to the military governments,” Aliyu noted.

In the evolving regional environment, the UN’s influence is likely to be exercised through diplomacy, access and partnerships rather than through a substantial military presence. Its ability to affect outcomes will depend on how effectively it can navigate the new political realities and support humanitarian and development efforts amid persistent instability.

Ukraine carried out its largest drone assault on the Moscow region on Sunday, striking an oil refinery and a logistics facility, according to regional officials.

Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported that 450 drones were intercepted over the capital, describing the operation as the most extensive of its kind. The governor of the surrounding area confirmed two fatalities and 20 injuries, including three children.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky verified that Ukrainian forces hit a major Russian oil installation and a supply hub, stating the damage amounted to billions of dollars in lost revenue that supports military operations. Ukrainian officials also noted civilian deaths in separate Russian strikes on Kyiv and Sumy regions.

The refinery targeted supplies over one-third of the Moscow region's fuel needs, including diesel, petrol and aviation fuel used by Russian military units. Ukraine's defence minister said the attack directly weakens the enemy's capacity to sustain its war effort.

Sobyanin suggested the strike aimed to disrupt Russia's parliamentary elections occurring on Sunday, which critics have condemned as neither free nor fair. Russian state media reported an election official among those killed in a separate drone strike on a bus in Kherson.

Airports in Moscow, including Sheremetyevo and Vnukovo, imposed temporary flight restrictions overnight due to the attacks. Restrictions were lifted by Sunday morning, though delays persisted.

Additional civilian casualties were recorded in Fastiv, where a mother and her two children died in a Russian attack, and in Vyshhorod, where a child injured in a separate strike later succumbed to injuries. In the Sumy region, four people traveling in a vehicle were killed when a Russian drone struck their car.

Zelensky also confirmed a drone hit on a monastery in Kherson, resulting in one clergy member killed and four others injured. Both sides have continued targeting energy infrastructure in recent days, despite former U.S. President Donald Trump's claim that they had agreed to refrain from such attacks.

The United States has indicated it may impose 100% tariffs on major buyers of Russian energy, while Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

A series of explosions at a Syrian army weapons depot in the Al-Eis area, south of Aleppo, injured at least four people on Monday morning, according to state media.

The blasts occurred early in the day at a military installation near the town of Al-Eis, as reported by the state-run SANA news agency. The cause of the explosions remained unclear at the time of reporting. Local civil defence officials confirmed that four injured individuals were evacuated from the site.

Al Jazeera correspondent Obaida Hitto, reporting from Aleppo, noted that the initial explosion was followed by additional blasts, with emergency vehicles and fire trucks responding to the area. The sounds of the explosions were audible several kilometres away.

Aleppo Governor Azzam al-Gharib urged residents to remain indoors, stating that hospitals, ambulance services, and emergency teams were on full alert. Roads leading to the site were closed to ensure civilian safety, as declared by Aleppo’s Internal Security Command.

A local resident from Aleppo’s Hamdaniyeh neighbourhood told the Associated Press news agency that they heard a "huge explosion" and observed "large flames in the distance" from their rooftop.

Syria has experienced multiple such incidents in recent months, many occurring at military or weapons storage facilities. These events have taken place amid the country’s ongoing recovery from more than a decade of civil war, which concluded with the fall of President Bashar al-Assad’s government in late 2024. Previous explosions have resulted in fatalities and injuries at military sites in Deir Az Zor, Idlib, and other regions.

No group has claimed responsibility for the recent blasts, and investigations into their origins remain ongoing.

Ferran Torres came off the bench and headed in a Desire Doue cross to open the scoring for Paris Saint-Germain in the 66th minute at the Velodrome. The goal sparked a response from Marseille, whose England midfielder Angel Gomes leveled the match in the 72nd minute. PSG captain Marquinhos restored the lead three minutes later after bundling in a rebound from a Nuno Mendes cross that had initially been saved by goalkeeper Jeffrey de Lange. United States forward Timothy Weah received a second booking later in the game, leaving Marseille to finish with ten men. Torres, who had previously scored in a 2-1 win over Brest, now has seven goals in six appearances for PSG since joining from Barcelona. He has started only three league matches. After the victory, PSG moved to sixth in the Ligue 1 table, five points behind Monaco. Marseille, by contrast, dropped to the relegation zone after suffering four consecutive league defeats and five straight games across all competitions. Their poor run follows a 2-1 loss to Lens on Friday, which allowed Monaco to extend their unbeaten start to the season. Lyon and Paris FC also won their respective fixtures over the weekend, while Lille fell 2-1 at Nice, with Mohamed Amoura scoring the decisive goal for the home side. Former Aston Villa striker Cameron Archer found the net for Auxerre in a 2-1 victory over Brest, marking his third consecutive game with a goal. Torres, a World Cup final winner with Spain in July, is currently with the national team ahead of upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures against England.