China · 27 September 2026 · Evening edition
Taiwan arms sales remain a Trump–Xi talking point as Beijing signals crisis-communication talks
US arms sales to Taiwan come up every time Donald Trump and Xi Jinping meet, Ambassador Perdue said, according to Bonnie Glaser’s account of his interview. His assurances about Washington’s Taiwan position drew scrutiny over the language used on coercion, while Beijing separately said the United States and China would pursue a military crisis-communication pact. The statements offer distinct signals about Taiwan policy and military dialogue, not evidence that the underlying disagreements have been resolved. Glaser · SCMP
Assurances on Taiwan, questions over coercion
Glaser reported that Perdue described Trump as “strong” on Taiwan in meetings with Xi and said the president had affirmed US support for the Three Communiqués and Six Assurances. Perdue also said Washington did not support Taiwan independence and did not support coercion. Glaser challenged the latter formulation, asking whether the United States should instead *oppose* coercion. That distinction was her criticism of the ambassador’s wording, rather than an announced policy change. Glaser
A separate Taiwan News headline, shared by Michael Turton, reported Mark Montgomery’s call for stronger Taiwan–US military interoperability. It described an argument for closer military cooperation, not an agreement to implement it. Looking further ahead, a Foreign Affairs post shared by Turton highlighted Jonathan Czin’s assessment that 2028 could be the next potential turning point for Beijing’s Taiwan policy—a forecast, not a declared Chinese timetable. Taiwan News via Turton · Foreign Affairs via Turton
Beijing points to military dialogue after the summit
The South China Morning Post reported Beijing’s statement that the two countries would pursue a military crisis-communication pact. The wording points to a prospective initiative; it does not establish that a pact has been concluded or put into operation. In a separate assessment, the newspaper characterized Xi’s Washington state visit as heavy on pageantry but light on concrete deliverables and predicted a more confident Chinese leader when Trump attends the Apec summit in Shenzhen. Crisis-communication proposal · SCMP assessment
Alongside that diplomatic coverage, Bill Bishop noted a People’s Daily article by Claire Chennault’s granddaughter, Nell Chennault Calloway, titled “Building a Stronger Bridge of US-China Friendship.” Bishop interpreted its placement as further emphasis by the Communist Party on the Flying Tigers connection. Bishop
Chinese mining interests expand in Nicaragua, FT reports
A Financial Times headline shared by Bishop reported that gold-rich Nicaragua had granted Chinese miners rights covering a tenth of its land. The post gave no further terms or implementation details, so the reported concession footprint should not be read as the extent of mining already under way. FT via Bishop
Hong Kong police investigate hidden cameras
In Hong Kong, the South China Morning Post reported the arrest of a 34-year-old man over hidden cameras found in gym changing rooms. The report described an arrest, not a finding of guilt. Separately, the newspaper said police were searching for a man who had used a key to steal HK$10,000 from claw machines. Gym investigation · Claw-machine theft