
A selection of key international news stories covering AI, Asian diplomacy, and global security from September 2026.
The South China Morning Post highlights key September 2026 stories, including Donald Trump's stance on AI regulation and new economic-security talks between the US, Japan, and South Korea ahead of a summit with Xi Jinping.
AI-generated summary
The report summarizes major geopolitical developments leading up to a scheduled summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
From anger over AI to Asian diplomacy and scam calls, here are highlights from the SCMP’s overseas correspondents in September 2026
We have selected seven of the most interesting and important news stories covering global relations from the past few weeks.
1. Trump condemns ‘sick conspiracy’ against AI, says he is only guardrail needed
US President Donald Trump downplayed growing concerns about artificial intelligence, claiming America already has guardrails to regulate the industry and warning that casting doubt on development only benefits China.
2. US, Japan and South Korea launch economic-security talks before Xi summit
The United States, Japan and South Korea announced a new economic-security consultation and reinforced their support for stability across the Taiwan Strait, sending a coordinated message on two of Beijing’s most sensitive issues just days before Chinese President Xi Jinping’s summit with US President Donald Trump.

The German government calls on companies to reduce their reliance on China and diversify their investments, but investment by German companies in China still increased by one-third in the first half of the year. At the same time, German companies are cautious about the Indian market. On the other hand, the Beijing government is dismantling urban fences on a large scale, aiming to improve citizen satisfaction through the construction of "borderless parks".

The "Kinmen Ship" decommissioned by the Taiwan Coast Guard officially entered service in the Philippine Coast Guard under the name "BRP Sarangani". The ship was donated by the "We Protect Our Sea Foundation" and will be responsible for maritime patrol, search and rescue and marine protection missions around Mindanao Island in the future.

There have been a number of runway collisions and ground conflicts at Sydney Airport in Australia in the past three months. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau's preliminary report pointed out that the ground conflict rate at the airport is higher than the national average, and it is conducting an in-depth investigation into the impact of tower manpower shortage, normalization of overtime and controller fatigue risks on flight safety.

French student protests have spread across the country, initially over a lack of educational resources and now turning violent. The police have arrested about 2,000 people, dozens of people have been injured, and arson and police-citizen clashes have occurred in many places.

On the second day of the National Day holiday, highway traffic flow across the country was stable, and public security and traffic control departments strictly investigated various traffic violations. It is expected that the traffic flow around scenic spots and business districts will continue to be high starting tomorrow. Affected by cold air and rainfall, travel conditions in many places are complicated. The Ministry of Public Security reminds drivers and passengers to pay attention to safe driving.

British paratrooper George Hooley died in an explosion in Ukraine in December 2025, becoming the first British soldier to die in Ukraine since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022. The British Ministry of Defense said it was watching the Ukrainian army test new defense capabilities.