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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

Briefings | | |   @CS US-China Relations

China’s Foreign Ministry: Spreading Narratives Portraying AI as a Threat Serves No Party’s Interests

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on September 14 that spreading narratives portraying AI as a threat does not serve the interests of any party.

A reporter asked: Not long ago, Dario Amodei, Sam Altman, Elon Musk, and others called on artificial intelligence companies to slow down the development of frontier technologies. Amodei said that China’s continued lead in artificial intelligence would pose a risk to U.S. national security. What is the Foreign Ministry’s comment on this?

“AI development concerns the common well-being of all humanity. All parties should work together to promote AI that is open, inclusive, beneficial to all, and used for good. Spreading various narratives about threats, engaging in confrontation and vicious competition, will only disrupt the global AI governance process and serve no party’s interests,” Guo said.

{Editor’s Note: This statement could suggest that China does not intend to slow its development of frontier AI technologies even if the United States chooses to do so.}

Source: Xinhua, September 14, 2026
https://www.news.cn/world/20260914/a3d886e5ebeb4307af30bf71df511550/c.html

Briefings | | |   @CS Information/Technology US-China Relations

CCP Advisor: China’s Population Decline Is Such a Serious Issue That It Cannot Wait

Jin Canrong (金灿荣) is a Chinese international relations scholar who serves as an advisor to senior Chinese Communist Party officials. He recently published an article warning Chinese officials that the country’s population decline and aging problems are becoming increasingly severe:

China’s population decline is a “slow-changing” issue whose full impact may not become apparent for several years, but it has already become increasingly urgent. China’s competition with the West is not just with the 300 million people in the United States, but with roughly 1 billion people across the West. Population is an extremely important strategic resource. Governments at all levels should strengthen their sense of urgency, increase policy support, and improve implementation to slow the population decline.

The seriousness of population loss can be seen in the three northeastern provinces and Inner Mongolia, where some cities with populations of around 1 million reportedly have only several hundred births a year, while once-busy commercial districts have become deserted. China’s population is also aging, with statistics showing that the median age reached 41.98 in 2025, which could have significant effects on the country’s economic and social development.

China’s large population base has contributed to its talent and engineering advantages. While many skilled workers are developed through education and training, a large population provides a broader base from which talent can emerge. Without a sufficiently large number of newborns, maintaining a large pool of highly capable talent could become more difficult.

Social awareness of China’s population challenges has grown in recent years, but current government measures remain relatively moderate and should be strengthened. Addressing the underlying causes of population decline would require substantial financial and other resources, but the cost will be even bigger if we delay our actions.

Source: Guancha, September 7, 2026
https://user.guancha.cn/main/content?id=1731571

Briefings | | |   @CS Economy/Resources Government/Politics

Leaked Documents Show China Used Aid to Buy Other Countries’ Support to Suppress Taiwan

Taiwanese media outlet SET News obtained documents allegedly leaked from China’s diplomatic system that appear to show Beijing offering financial assistance to secure diplomatic support against Taiwan. One set of documents concerns Micronesia, while another reportedly involves the African Union. SET News said the documents provide the first apparent Chinese official documentation of Beijing using financial assistance to obtain diplomatic support and restrict Taiwan’s international space.

The documents were allegedly leaked by an insider within China’s diplomatic system and circulated on the dark web through an X account called “hCharizard.”

According to the leaked documents, in late March, the Chinese Embassy in Micronesia sent a diplomatic note asking Micronesia to support Beijing’s position on Taiwan at the 79th World Health Assembly (WHA), including by submitting a letter prepared by China. On April 8, Micronesia’s Foreign Ministry replied that it had submitted the letter, signed by Health and Social Affairs Minister Marcus Samo, supporting the “one-China” principle and opposing Taiwan’s participation in the WHA.

Taiwan’s participation proposal was subsequently rejected at the May 18–23 WHA, marking its 10th consecutive year of exclusion.

The leaked documents also showed a June 10 diplomatic note from the Chinese Embassy offering Micronesia RMB 1 million (US$149,000) in aid, with the funds specifically designated for purchasing one to three Chinese-brand VIP vehicles for the Micronesian Foreign Ministry. Transportation and maintenance costs could also be covered. On June 23, Micronesia’s Foreign Ministry agreed to the revised donation agreement and said it would arrange its signing as soon as possible.

Another batch of documents reportedly shows China proposing RMB 200 million (US$ 28 million) in assistance to the African Union, along with possible request for additional funding.

Source: SET News (Taiwan), September 7, 2026
https://www.setn.com/news/1902651

Briefings | | |   @CS Geo-Strategic Trend

China’s Gains and Costs from the Ukraine War and U.S.-Iran Conflict

Since the Ukraine crisis began in 2022, along with intensifying U.S.-Iran tensions and disruptions to Red Sea shipping, global geopolitical and economic structures have undergone major realignment. Beijing has maintained a “non-direct involvement” strategy, avoiding direct participation while benefiting from the disruptions. In the short term, China has gained advantages in energy, market share, renminbi internationalization, and strategic relief. However, China is likely to face significant long-term costs from Western sanctions, declining trust in Chinese companies, and worsening security conditions in East Asia.

China’s main benefits include:

  • Energy: China has become Russia’s largest energy customer after Europe reduced its imports of Russian energy. Discounted Russian oil and gas have provided China with lower-cost energy while creating opportunities for Chinese companies.
  • Market Share in Russia: Chinese firms have expanded rapidly in Russia as Western companies withdrew. China-Russia trade increased from about $100 billion before the war to more than $240 billion, while Chinese automakers now hold more than 60 percent of Russia’s auto market and Chinese smartphones account for more than 70 percent.
  • Renminbi Settlement: The war has accelerated yuan-based trade settlement. More than 90 percent of China-Russia trade is now reportedly settled directly in yuan and rubles, compared with less than 2 percent before the war.
  • Strategic Relief: Conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East have consumed substantial Western military resources, potentially easing immediate U.S. and NATO pressure on China in the Indo-Pacific.

China also faces significant costs:

  • Western Secondary Sanctions: U.S. and Western sanctions are increasingly targeting third-country companies supplying Russia and Iran with dual-use technologies and other materials. Hundreds of Chinese and Hong Kong entities have been placed on U.S. sanctions or export-control lists, while the threat of secondary sanctions has prompted major Chinese banks to tighten or suspend some Russia- and Iran-related transactions.
  • Loss of Western Trust and Accelerating “De-risking” from China: Beijing’s support for Russia has accelerated European efforts to de-risk from China, potentially threatening access to China’s much larger Western markets. Chinese investments and infrastructure projects in the Middle East also face greater risks from conflict, including disruptions to construction, logistics, energy projects, and exports.
  • Worsening Northeast Asian Security Environment: The deteriorating security environment is a long-term concern. The growing military partnership between Russia and North Korea has strengthened Pyongyang’s position and could reduce Beijing’s influence over North Korea. Meanwhile, closer U.S.-Japan-South Korea security cooperation and deeper bloc-based confrontation could leave China facing a more militarized and polarized neighborhood.

Source:  Epoch Times, August 20, 2026
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/26/8/20/n14833109.htm

Briefings | | |   @CS Geo-Strategic Trend US-China Relations

China Seeks to Overturn Missouri’s $24.5 Billion COVID-19 Judgment

Hubei Province and the Chinese Academy of Sciences have hired the U.S.-based global law firm White & Case to challenge a $24.5 billion default judgment awarded to Missouri over China’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. On August 31, the two Chinese entities asked a federal court in Missouri to set aside the judgment and dismiss the lawsuit. White & Case has assigned Washington-based senior litigation partner Christopher Curran, who has represented foreign governments in U.S. courts, to the case.

Missouri filed the lawsuit in April 2020, accusing China, the Chinese Communist Party, Hubei and Wuhan authorities, the Wuhan Institute of Virology, and other Chinese entities of concealing information about COVID-19 and hoarding personal protective equipment (PPE), contributing to shortages and higher prices in the United States. A federal court initially dismissed the case under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, but the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals revived Missouri’s PPE-hoarding claim in 2024.

After the Chinese defendants failed to appear in court, U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. issued a default judgment in March 2025. The court initially awarded about $8.16 billion in compensatory damages, with the total subsequently increasing to approximately $24.5 billion under applicable federal law. Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey said the state would seek to enforce the judgment by targeting Chinese-owned assets, potentially including farmland in Missouri.

Missouri has argued that China’s challenge comes too late and vowed to continue pursuing the judgment.

Source: Epoch Times, September 1, 2026
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/26/8/31/n14840304.htm

Briefings | | |   @CS US-China Relations

Japan’s Pro-China Lawmakers Visit China to Improve Bilateral Ties, but Beijing Lectures Them Instead

A bipartisan group of Japanese lawmakers recently visited Beijing in an effort to restore political exchanges amid deteriorating Japan-China relations. The delegation included Shinichi Isa of the Centrist Reform Alliance, Gaku Hashimoto of the Liberal Democratic Party, and lawmakers from Komeito. Many of the delegates are considered relatively China-friendly and maintain some distance from Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s government.

But Beijing offered no apparent concessions. Instead, Lu Kang, a deputy head of the Chinese Communist Party’s International Department, told the delegation that Beijing had no intention of changing its current Japan policy unless Takaichi reverses her November parliamentary remarks that “a Taiwan contingency is a contingency for Japan.” The message was clear: Beijing is prepared to improve bilateral relations, but expects Japan to make concessions first.

Japanese commentator Akio Yaita criticized the lawmakers’ visit as a diplomatic miscalculation, arguing that Beijing used the meeting to pressure Tokyo rather than offer substantive concessions on issues such as export controls. He said Japan needs dialogue with China, but such engagement should be based on mutual respect. If Beijing believes Japan is eager to improve relations, he warned, it may demand a high price and repeatedly humiliate Japan.

Source: Liberty Times (Taiwan). August 29, 2026
https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/politics/breakingnews/5556051

Briefings | | |   @CS Geo-Strategic Trend Government/Politics

Beijing Claims China’s Cooperation with Iran Is Legitimate and Should Not Be Disrupted

On August 24, the United States launched Operation Economic Outcast, a new campaign aimed at economically isolating Iran and targeting its financial and commercial networks. The Trump administration also warned countries and entities continuing to support Iran that they could face U.S. sanctions.

Xinhua News Agency reported China’s response, emphasizing that its cooperation with Iran has always been conducted within the framework of international law.

At a regular press briefing on August 25, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said China has repeatedly expressed its firm opposition to unilateral sanctions that lack a basis in international law and have not been authorized by the UN Security Council.

Lin said economic warfare and “maximum pressure” would not help resolve disputes but would instead further intensify tensions and conflicts, create spillover risks, disrupt the global economic and financial order, and harm the legitimate rights and interests of other countries. He said the immediate priority should be to de-escalate the situation and return to dialogue and negotiations as soon as possible.

Lin said China’s cooperation with Iran has always been conducted within the framework of international law and should not be interfered with or disrupted. He added that China is closely monitoring relevant developments and will take all necessary measures to firmly safeguard its rights and interests.

Source: Xinhua, August 25, 2026
https://www.news.cn/world/20260825/4f45e922e10649b29e9a0c89bbaf83d6/c.html

Briefings | | |   @CS US-China Relations