Xi Jinping

The warning came amid reports that China had supplied Iran with shoulder-fired air-defense missile launchers and that Tehran had found ways to evade sanctions on its oil sales with Chinese help.

The zoo, which previously housed pandas from 1999 to 2024, announced an agreement in ​April with the China Wildlife Conservation Association to host the two bears.

China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, a position President Lai Ching-te and his administration reject.

"It's pretty notable that Xi Jinping is coming to Washington in the same week as the UNGA, but does not feel bothered to come up to New York," said Richard Gowan of the International Crisis Group.

According to WSJ, citing Iranian customs data, China has shipped around 1,300 shipments to Iran's defense ministry containing "dual-use" components and chemical compounds.

Xi's visit will include a statedinner with tech luminaries, a White House military ceremony including jet flyovers, and a visit to the National Archives.

Youlin Chen, 54, is one of two Americans held by Beijing whom the US has designated as "wrongfully detained," making their release a top priority.

China’s ambassador to the US warned of 'red lines' on Taiwan and human rights that cannot be crossed, speaking ahead of this week’s Washington meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping.

Nearly 130 heads of state meet with the post-World War Two order under strain and with the UN itself struggling to remain relevant and weathering attacks from Trump.

Proposals include redlining nuclear systems, requiring human control over consequential cyberattacks, and establishing a hotline for incidents involving autonomous AI.