Chinese Embassy Reportedly Mobilizing Xi Welcome in Washington; DOJ Reminds Public of Foreign-Agent Registration
Chinese-language social media posts and WeChat screenshots circulating among overseas Chinese communities reportedly show organized efforts to mobilize Chinese Americans to Washington, D.C., for activities welcoming Xi Jinping during his expected visit to the United States from September 23 to 25.
One organizer, identified as “Sister Xia” and registered on WeChat in Alhambra, California, said she had recruited many participants. She said the Chinese Embassy and business associations were providing funding. Other circulating recruitment messages reportedly offered free airfare or bus transportation, lodging, meals, and an $80 participation payment, with one message seeking participants under age 70 for a “flag-waving welcome” event.
These organized welcome groups can create the appearance of a “mass welcome.” They may also serve a “counteraction” function: when the Chinese leader’s motorcade passes by, participants may use large numbers of red flags, human walls, and loudspeakers to obscure protesters’ signs and chants, ensuring that the leader “does not see” opposing voices. Many netizens have questioned whether participants in such activities are effectively “paid actors,” and characterized the activities as part of Beijing’s overseas propaganda and United Front efforts.
Participants in such activities could potentially be subject to foreign-agent registration requirements if they act in the United States at the direction or control of a Chinese government entity or other foreign principal.
On September 16, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice published a press release titled “Liability for Unregistered Foreign Agents” to remind the public that federal laws require individuals “to register as foreign agents when they act in the United States at the direction or control of a foreign government or foreign principal.” It explains, “If a person acts as an agent of any foreign power to carry out any public activity, including (but not limited to) public demonstrations designed to further the propaganda or other goals of the foreign power, he or she must register with or notify the appropriate federal authorities. Failure to do so may result in significant civil or criminal sanctions, up to and including a maximum of five years in prison.”
Sources:
{1} Epoch Times, September 8, 2026
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/26/9/8/n14844612.htm
{2} Epoch Times, September 18, 2026
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/26/9/18/n14851493.htm
{3} US DOJ website, September 16, 2026
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/liability-unregistered-foreign-agents
Beijing Announces Party Decision on Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli Ahead of Expected CCP Fifth Plenum
Xinhua News Agency reported that on September 21, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Politburo reviewed and approved the Central Military Commission’s (CMC) reports on the investigations into Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli. It decided to expel the two senior military officials from the CCP, terminate their qualifications as delegates to the 20th Party Congress, and transfer their alleged criminal offenses to military procuratorial authorities for prosecution. The CMC had previously decided to expel them from military service.
A source described as an insider in the CCP’s military system told The Epoch Times that the decisions on how to handle their cases were originally expected to be announced at the Fifth Plenary Session of the 20th CCP Central Committee (October 26 – 29). However, according to the source, Xi Jinping recently called for the announcement to be brought forward ahead of his visit to the United States. The source said Xi intended to “settle the matter once and for all” and put a definitive end to the political characterization of Zhang and Liu.
Xinhua’s announcement described the offenses attributed to Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli as follows: abandoning their original aspiration and mission; becoming alienated from and disloyal to the Party; losing their Party spirit and principles; and crossing red lines and bottom lines; seriously violating political discipline and political rules, forming cliques, and being disloyal and dishonest to the Party; seriously violating organizational discipline by using their positions to assist others in obtaining promotions and receiving large sums of money; seriously violating integrity discipline by improperly accepting gifts and cash; seriously violating work discipline by failing to fulfill their political responsibility for exercising comprehensive and strict Party governance; and seriously violating life discipline by failing to properly educate and supervise their relatives and staff.
However, the language used in the latest announcement differs notably from that of a PLA Daily editorial published on January 25, when the investigations into Zhang and Liu were first announced. The earlier editorial accused them of “seriously undermining the CMC chairman responsibility system” — which can be understood as “seriously undermining Xi Jinping’s authority in the military” — and of damaging the Party’s absolute leadership over the military. It also said their conduct had severely affected the political foundation, political environment, and combat effectiveness of the PLA.
Sources:
{1} Xinhua, September 21, 2026
https://www.news.cn/politics/20260921/ed84cef8e5ad411e9ebf80c5f43e375e/c.html
{2} People’s Daily, January 26, 2026
http://politics.people.com.cn/n1/2026/0125/c1001-40652025.html
{3} The Epoch Times, September 22, 2026
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/26/9/22/n14854544.htm
Xi Jinping’s U.S. Visit: A Display of Political Power Ahead of the 21st Party Congress
Xi Jinping is expected to visit the United States from September 23 to 25 and meet with President Trump on September 24, roughly one year before the 21st National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Chinese political observers say Beijing hopes the summit will help stabilize economic and business expectations, while Xi could use the high-profile diplomatic engagement to demonstrate his control over foreign policy and upcoming personnel arrangements within the Party.
Xi’s visit comes as attention focuses on whether he will continue as CCP General Secretary and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, potentially entering a fourth term. Beijing has not announced any such arrangements or publicly discussed a potential successor.
A Chinese political scholar said official-media coverage of a Xi-Trump meeting at the White House could reinforce Xi’s image as the leader directing China’s major-power diplomacy. A military affairs scholar said Xi’s overseas visit, amid continuing changes in the PLA leadership, could serve as a domestic display of his political influence and control over the military command system.
Chinese state media have already established a favorable narrative around Xi’s summit diplomacy. People’s Daily described head-of-state diplomacy in May as the “compass” and “rudder” of China-U.S. relations, saying Xi and Trump had helped “calibrate the trajectory” of bilateral ties at a critical moment. Beijing has also promoted the concept of building a “constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability.”
Source: Radio Free Asia, September 9, 2026
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/zhengzhi/waijiao/2026/09/09/china-xi-jinpings-visit-to-the-us-trump-21st-national-congress-of-the-cpc/
Academic Warns Beijing Seeks to Monopolize Chinese-Language Interpretation in AI Era
A Taiwanese scholar has warned that artificial intelligence could hand Beijing control over how the Chinese language is interpreted worldwide. Speaking at a seminar on resistance in Taipei on Saturday, Hung Tzu-wei, a research fellow at Academia Sinica’s Institute of European and American Studies, said China is deliberately trying to monopolize global Chinese-language interpretive authority by supplying vast quantities of simplified-Chinese data. He argued this amounts to a form of cognitive warfare that produces a new kind of “epistemic injustice.”
Hung said Taiwan’s government should scrap its policy of privileging Mandarin, which he said has no legal basis according to a Control Yuan report, and that replacing “Huayu” with Taiwanese-language writing is the future trend. He noted that Taiwan initially did not speak Mandarin and that martial-law-era ethnic framing produced flawed language revitalization policy. Although Taiwan has its own language models, he argued that datasets nobody uses have no future. He pointed to Ukraine, where the share of Ukrainian speakers rose after the Russian invasion.
Hung also distinguished between China’s short-term interference, which typically targets elections and draws a stronger government response, and long-term cultural infiltration, which could shape children’s future ideologies.
Other speakers addressed the ethics of resistance. Philosopher Wu Feng-wei, citing Kant, argued that citizens of an invaded country have a duty to resist, provided there are shared principles of justice, an immediate external threat, and a population that shares in the community’s benefits. Historian Chen Chun-kai stressed vigilance against online troll armies and disinformation.
Hung added that a recent Academia Sinica survey found that people who value democracy are not necessarily willing to defend Taiwan, whereas those with stronger Taiwanese identity are more willing to resist China.
Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), September 19, 2026
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/aipl/202609190230.aspx
Chinese Universities Told to Tighten Belts as Budgets Shrink, With Scenic-Spot Meetings Banned
Universities across China are curbing spending after cuts to their budgets. Several have issued notices urging staff to practice thrift and “live tight lives,” according to mainland outlets The Paper and Sina.
Peking University published its implementation measures on the 11th, reportedly barring units from using public funds for tourism disguised as training. The rules prohibit holding meetings at 21 named scenic areas, including Badaling–Ming Tombs, the Chengde Mountain Resort’s outer temples, Mount Wutai, Taihu Lake, Putuo Mountain, Huangshan, Jiuhua Mountain, Guilin’s Li River, Sanya’s tropical coastline and Jiuzhaigou–Huanglong.
Anhui Jianzhu University issued its own rules in August. Reimbursement of research-related meals now requires a registration form, invoice, menu and corporate card record. Cigarettes, alcohol, expensive dishes and playing cards, which are unrelated to research, cannot be claimed.
Beijing Forestry University said on the 9th that money should be spent “where it should be spent.” Staff are asked to buy lower-priced airfares first, keep the number and duration of research and business trips to a minimum, and avoid travel over statutory holidays.
Shanxi University of Finance and Trade Vocational and Technical College held a meeting the same day on budget controls. It vowed to curb frequent budget adjustments, put special government funds first in payments, and end spending for its own sake. Hosting colleagues from within the same city is barred. Travel costs above the standard will not be reimbursed. Meetings may not offer tea-break fruit, and display boards may not use costly production methods. The college also told relevant departments to handle students’ fee-related concerns properly and explain the policy to them.
Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), September 17, 2026
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202609170103.aspx
U.S. Cracks Down on Chinese-Language Scam and Money-Laundering Marketplace
On September 9, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Scam Center Strike Force (SCSF) announced enforcement actions against Xinbi Guarantee, a Chinese-language illicit marketplace operating on Telegram. According to the Justice Department, the platform connected scam-center operators with vendors offering services such as creating fraudulent investment websites, laundering proceeds from telecommunications fraud, and recruiting trafficking victims to work in Southeast Asian scam compounds. Xinbi Guarantee also provided an escrow service to facilitate transactions between scammers and service providers.
A federal court authorized the seizure of the Telegram channels on September 7. In a coordinated operation, U.S. authorities froze approximately $52 million in cryptocurrency linked to money laundering and scam activity, bringing the SCSF’s cumulative cryptocurrency seizures to about $938 million.
The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) also sanctioned Xinbi Guarantee and identified multiple cryptocurrency wallets associated with the platform. OFAC additionally sanctioned two entities accused of supporting Xinbi’s operations. Treasury said Xinbi had processed more than $24 billion in digital assets and fiat currency since around 2022, underscoring the financial infrastructure supporting large-scale scam operations.
Source: Epoch Times, September 10, 2026
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/26/9/9/n14845849.htm
China Threatens Retaliation Over U.S. Accusations of “Industrial-Scale” AI Distillation
Ahead of the upcoming Trump-Xi summit, where artificial intelligence is expected to be a key topic, China’s state-run People’s Daily published a commentary today pushing back against recent U.S. accusations that Chinese AI firms are engaged in “industrial-scale” distillation of American AI models.
The article, written under the byline “Zhong Sheng (钟声)” — a pseudonym for “China’s Voice,” frequently used by the paper for authoritative statements reflecting the Chinese government’s position — claims that a joint warning issued by the U.S. National Security Agency, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and the FBI has no legal basis. It argues that distillation is a standard practice used by AI companies worldwide, including American firms, and characterizes the U.S. crackdown as disguised protectionism rather than a genuine security concern. The commentary accuses Washington of applying a double standard — treating the same technique as routine when used by U.S. firms but as an “attack” when used by Chinese firms — and warns that Beijing will retaliate if its companies’ legitimate interests are harmed.
The U.S. agencies had alleged that Chinese firms including DeepSeek, Moonshot AI, Alibaba, MiniMax, and StepFun used variants of American AI models to train their own products, likely with the Chinese government’s knowledge, and described the activity as aggressive and malicious.
Distillation refers to using outputs from large, costly AI models to train smaller ones more cheaply. The dispute comes as the two countries prepare for a second Trump-Xi summit in Washington on the 24th, with AI expected to be a major topic; Reuters has reported the two sides plan a separate dialogue on AI safety risks in mid-September.
Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), September 16, 2026
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202609160111.aspx
China’s Steel Industry Calls for Self-Discipline Amid Oversupply and Sinking Profits
Forty-five Chinese steel conglomerates — including China Baowu, Ansteel, HBIS, and Shougang — have jointly issued an initiative through the China Iron and Steel Association (CISA) urging the industry to rein in production and reduce inventories, citing a market plagued by “strong supply, weak demand, low prices, and thin profits.”
According to a report by The Paper, CISA’s initiative outlines three measures: strictly enforcing output controls, maintaining voluntary production restraint to cut stockpiles, and fully utilizing industry price-monitoring personnel. The report notes that all three measures target the same underlying problem — the need for supply-side restraint.
Citing data from Chinese financial data provider Wind, the report states that 26 A-share-listed steel companies posted combined revenue of roughly RMB 555.7 billion (approximately US$78.3 billion) in the first half of the year, yet their combined net profit attributable to parent companies came to less than RMB 7 billion (about US$990 million). Of these, 11 companies posted losses, and seven earned less than RMB 300 million (about US$42 million) each.
CISA’s own figures show that major surveyed steel enterprises recorded total profit of RMB 58.4 billion (about US$8.2 billion) in the first half, down 5.5 percent year-on-year. Profit from core steelmaking operations alone fell 40 percent to just RMB 16.7 billion (about US$2.4 billion), with a sales profit margin of only 0.77 percent.
The initiative states that China’s steel industry has shifted from a growth phase into one of contraction and optimization. It says that since 2026, domestic steel demand has continued weakening while inventories remain elevated, driving prices down and putting significant pressure on producers’ operations.
Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), September 15, 2026
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202609150360.aspx