Xi Heads to Washington as a US-China Trade Truce Nears Its Deadline

The world's diplomats are in New York this week: the UN General Assembly's general debate opens September 22, with some 130 heads of state and government expected. But the biggest moves of the past four days happened on the sidelines and on the front lines, from a trade clock ticking between Washington and Beijing to a record drone wave over Moscow. Here are the five headlines that matter, in five minutes.

Xi heads to Washington with a trade truce on the clock

China's Foreign Ministry confirmed on September 21 that Xi Jinping will make a state visit to the United States from September 23 to 25 at Donald Trump's invitation. It is his first White House visit since 2015 and his second in-person meeting with Trump this year, after Trump's own state visit to China in May. The plan includes an airport welcome, a summit and a state dinner on September 24.

Why it matters: this is about money, and a deadline. The truce the two sides reached in Busan last October caps US tariffs on Chinese goods at about 20 percent and expires November 10. In pre-summit talks in New York on September 20, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer met Vice Premier He Lifeng. Washington proposed a channel for sharing warnings about serious AI threats, but there was no new progress on rare-earth supplies, the minerals factories worldwide depend on.

What to watch: whether the truce is extended, and for how long. A lapse would jolt supply chains and markets well beyond the two countries.

Ukraine hits Moscow with its biggest drone wave yet

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin called it the largest drone attack on the Russian capital to date. Russia said its air defences had shot down more than 1,600 drones since September 19, including 450 heading for Moscow. At least three people were killed in the Moscow region, and drones reached the city's oil refinery, sparking large fires. Russian strikes the same night killed at least four people in the Kyiv region, three of them children.

Why it matters: the attack landed on the final day of Russia's three-day parliamentary elections, and it was aimed at the energy income that funds the war. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the strikes hit "billions of dollars that sustain the war machine." The money pressure is also coming from Washington: Trump signed a sanctions law on September 18 targeting Russia's energy and defence industries and the "shadow fleet" of tankers that dodges existing sanctions.

What to watch: Zelenskyy and Trump are due to meet in New York during the General Assembly. Any talk of a ceasefire will now be shaped by how hard both sides are hitting each other's infrastructure.

Houthis take aim at Riyadh

Saudi Arabia said its air defences intercepted a ballistic missile fired by Yemen's Houthis at Riyadh at dawn on September 19, along with attempted strikes on Yanbu, Taif, Baish and Farasan. It was the first attack on the Saudi capital since fighting between the Iran-backed group and Saudi-backed Yemeni forces escalated. A fire broke out at a fuel tank bearing Aramco's logo near King Khalid International Airport, and flights were badly disrupted. The Houthis said they had targeted Aramco facilities in Yanbu.

Why it matters: Yemen's 2022 truce collapsed in July, and the Houthis have since seized the country's Red Sea coastline, including the Bab al-Mandab strait, one of the world's key shipping chokepoints. The UN says more than 112,000 people have been displaced by the renewed fighting. Strikes near Saudi oil sites put energy markets and shipping insurers on alert.

What to watch: whether the attacks spread to shipping lanes, and whether regional powers are pulled deeper into the war.

Greenland security deal heads for the UN signing table

The United States, Denmark and Greenland announced a security agreement on September 18 and are set to sign it on the sidelines of the General Assembly. According to Washington, it blocks China and Russia from building military bases in Greenland or making sensitive investments there without US consent. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the deal recognises Denmark's sovereignty and Greenlanders' right to self-determination, calling it "a good agreement from a Danish point of view."

Why it matters: after more than a year of Trump pressing for control of Greenland, the deal settles the argument through expanded US presence rather than a change of sovereignty. Beyond the existing Pituffik Space Base, the US plans to reopen the Cold War-era site at Narsarsuaq and set up at Mestersvig on the east coast. The investment clause matters as much as the bases: it shuts rivals out of an Arctic economy rich in minerals and new shipping routes.

What to watch: the final text. Trump has claimed "permanent control over security," a phrase Denmark has not echoed.

Far right tops a German state vote as Merz's party collapses

In the September 20 election in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the far-right AfD won 38.2 percent, more than double its 2021 result, just ahead of the Social Democrats on 35.5. Chancellor Friedrich Merz's CDU took 4.9 percent, below the 5 percent threshold, so it drops out of the state parliament. In Berlin the same day, the Left party came first with 25.7 percent.

Why it matters: Europe's largest economy has a weakened chancellor at a time of war in Ukraine and slow growth at home. Merz called the result a "disaster" but said he will stay on. Other parties still refuse to govern with the AfD, so left-leaning coalitions are likely in both states. There is an energy angle too: Putin's envoy Kirill Dmitriev and the AfD are reported to be preparing talks on bringing Russian gas back to Germany.

What to watch: pressure on Merz inside his own party, and whether his reform plans survive.

Quick answers

When is Xi Jinping visiting the United States?

Xi's state visit runs from September 23 to 25, 2026, with a summit and state dinner at the White House on September 24, China's Foreign Ministry confirmed. The US-China trade truce it may shape expires November 10.

How big was Ukraine's drone attack on Moscow?

Russia said it shot down more than 1,600 drones from September 19, including 450 heading for Moscow, and at least three people were killed in the Moscow region, Al Jazeera reported. Drones reached the Moscow oil refinery and started large fires.

What does the Greenland security deal do?

It expands the US military presence in Greenland while recognising Danish sovereignty, and it bars Chinese or Russian bases and sensitive investments without US consent, France 24 reported.