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CNN International: Trump And Xi To Visit National Archives In Coming Hours; EU Commission President On China Trade Imbalance; Nepal's PM: Climate Change Doesn't Recognize Borders. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired September 25, 2026 - 04:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to CNN Newsroom. I'm Salma Abdelaziz in London. The White House is hosting Chinese leader Xi Jinping for a state visit in his first trip to the U.S. Capitol in more than a decade. In the coming hours, President Trump is set to take Xi to the National Archives to see America's founding documents in honor of the nation's 250th anniversary.

President Trump rolled out the red carpet for the Chinese leader on Thursday night, hosting a formal state dinner at the White House. And during a closed-door meeting on Thursday, Chinese state media says the two leaders discuss trade relations, artificial intelligence, and the U.S. war with Iran. The president of the European Commission is speaking out about unregulated trade between China and the E.U. CNN's Christiane Amanpour asked about the impact and some possible solutions.

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URSULA VON DER LEYEN, EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT: The mood is changing in the European Union because of the imbalance that we have in our trade relationship. We have a trade deficit of 1 billion per day.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Per day?

VON DER LEYEN: Per day, and this cannot go on. We cannot have the deindustrialization of our industrial heartland because China is dumping its overcapacity on the European market. So, we have now established with China a high-level dialog on that topic, but the dialog has to deliver.

In parallel, we have instruments that ensure the economic security of the European Union. We want the dialog to be successful, but, if necessary, we have the instruments on the table, or we can develop new ones.

AMANPOUR: What is an instrument in -- in this case, what is the -- VON DER LEYEN: For example, limit the access of Chinese products that are heavily subsidized to our market. We like competition, but we want a level playing field.

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ABDELAZIZ: To continue this conversation on China's state visit, joining us now from Singapore is Drew Thompson. He is a Senior Fellow at Nanyang Technological University. Thank you so much for joining us on the program, because there is this sense that this state visit was packed with a lot of pomp, but it was bare on substance. What is your assessment? What is your take?

DREW THOMPSON, SENIOR FELLOW, S. RAJARATNAM SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: Well, I think both leaders are getting exactly what they wanted from the visit. They've got great optics, high-level protocol courtesies, the -- the giving and receiving of respect, and that brings both of them validation.

So, I think Trump went all out to -- to show his respect to Xi Jinping. He said it multiple times in several meetings. The -- the visit to the airport to -- to greet him at Andrews, the 21-gun salute, all the optics, everything Xi Jinping could want. Really, Xi Jinping wanted to be seen standing shoulder to shoulder with President Trump, and he wanted a smooth visit that that showed that he's respected because he can take that political capital back to Beijing.

And -- and he's got the fifth Party Plenum next month. He's got the 21st Party Congress next year, and I think all of this helps him to -- to take that respect and translate it into more power and -- and opportunity for himself at home. So, I think that's what they really wanted. And substantive agreements on trade, A.I., Taiwan, all the other issues were secondary factors, and they had those discussions and the door has now been opened for conversations to continue.

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ABDELAZIZ: May I challenge you a little bit on this? Because you're saying the Chinese leader got what he wanted, but fundamentally, Xi believes that the U.S. is trying to contain its rise, China's rise as a superpower, rather, and his aim was to prevent that, right? To prevent that possibility of curbing national growth, particularly on trade, technology, Taiwan, all those topics that you mentioned.

Did he get his way? Especially when you consider that he only got that two-month tariff extension deal there. Did he actually get what he wanted?

THOMPSON: Well, I think if you look at the entire list of what both presidents want, neither one got many of the substantive issues that that -- they're really trying to get. But what they have achieved is essentially a respectful and very cordial stalemate, which creates stability and the atmosphere for the two governments to now work together to find solutions, common ground, mechanisms, whatever it is they're looking to achieve, and go forward from it. So, I don't think there was any expectation that something would

magically come out of the brief meeting that took place behind closed doors in the White House. This was not a negotiating session. This meeting was a forcing function for negotiators to meet previously to try to reach some consensus. But clearly, the gaps are quite wide between the two sides, and -- and they both know that.

So, if it's really not possible to narrow gaps and to reach a consensus on these difficult issues because their interests are so divergent, then at least the demonstration of respect, positive atmosphere, the political conditions for more talks is -- is -- is a perfectly acceptable outcome. Many of these issues have been going on for decades; trade, Taiwan, the technology issues. These -- these are all longstanding difficulties in the relationship, but at least the atmosphere is cordial, and I think that's constructive.

ABDELAZIZ: So, let's talk about one of these difficult issues, the biggest talker, the one we're all chatting about at our dinner tables. A.I., of course. Xi did have this rhetoric around the two nations should engage in friendly competition rather than a zero-sum game. What is your takeaway? Was there any diplomatic progress to back up that type of rhetoric? Did you feel that there was movement, or was it, again, as you said, by design meant to just demonstrate a friendly atmosphere?

THOMPSON: Well, I think what the summit did was it prompted the Treasury Secretary and China's Vice Premier to talk about these issues and to start to aspire to having more dialogs, more agreements, and -- and maybe a vision for how to manage A.I. risks in the future, but the summit itself is not the place for discussions on A.I. mechanisms.

I mean, keep in mind too, President Trump is 80 years old, Xi Jinping is 73, so their grasp of this latest technology issues might not be as -- as strong as the technical experts who should be engaging and looking for options and opportunities here. But I think more importantly, you've got very, very strikingly different cultural and philosophical approaches to -- to how the two sides manage risk.

And that's true in conventional spaces as well, like strategic nuclear missiles, missile defense, and Beijing feels like it's playing catch up to the United States in all of these sectors, including A.I. So, it's very justified in taking the approach that it does, which is catching up by any means, trying to prevent U.S. containment and -- and constraints on them, and also avoiding any agreements that might act as constraints or behavior limiting on -- on their side.

And if you look at historically China's confidence building measures, arms control agreements, it's avoided the -- the most stringent of the arms control agreements, particularly in contrast to the U.S. which has a long history of binding agreements with -- with Russia, so China has a very different approach.

ABDELAZIZ: Both sides got what they wanted; a friendly atmosphere, shoulder to shoulder. That's the take from Drew Thompson joining us live from Singapore. Thank you so much for that analysis. Nepal's Prime Minister says his country is paying a devastating price

for a problem it did not create. He spoke at the UN General Assembly after a glacier collapse and flooding killed more than 1,400 people last month. Some 6,000 others are still missing in this disaster. Experts say climate change likely played a part in the catastrophe.

And as Hanako Montgomery reports, the prime minister said the current situation is simply unfair to countries like his.

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HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Just weeks after deadly floods killed at least. 1,400 people and left thousands more missing in Nepal. Prime Minister Balendra Shah used his UN address to discuss climate justice. The term essentially means countries that contribute the least to climate change shouldn't have to bear the costs of it alone.

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BALENDRA SHAH, PRIME MINITER OF NEPAL: Climate change does not recognize borders. Glaciers and floods do not travel with stamps and passports.

MONTGOMERY: And the devastation from the floods is enormous. while we were on the ground in Nepal, we saw how some communities had been completely wiped out, while families were still desperately looking for their missing loved ones. Nepal has estimated that recovery will cost at least $5 billion which is more than 11 percent of its GDP.

It has requested about $20 million from a UN fund that would help cover some climate-related losses. Meanwhile, six of the world's largest fossil fuel companies are estimated to make about $94 billion this year alone, according to one study. Now, Shah also used his speech to discuss a proposal for the future going forward. It's essentially a framework led by India, China, and Nepal, and he's called it the Himalayan Climate Resilience Mechanism.

The idea is to share satellite imagery, share information about dangerous glacial lakes, and to strengthen early warning systems so that there is better cooperation if and when another disaster strikes. Now, during his speech, Shah also pointed out what he sees as a stark contradiction. How a world that is able to wage multiple wars is still struggling to find ways to help the most vulnerable affected by climate change.

SHAH: A world that can deliver a weapon anywhere in 72 hours has no excuse for leaving a farmer without means of decent livelihood.

MONTGOMERY: It could take years for Nepal to recover, and Shah's warning is that another disaster could strike before it does. While countries contributing the most to the climate crisis, continue to stand by and watch. Hanako Montgomery, CNN.

(END VIDEO CLIP) ABDELAZIZ: Coming up next on CNN Newsroom, a veteran aid worker shares

footage of some of the most difficult years in North Korea's recent history.

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ABDELAZIZ: A caravan of about 300 Honduran migrants has now entered Mexico in hopes of passing through to the United States. They set out on their journey on Sunday, covering much of the way on foot, as you can see there. Multiple aid groups report that some 60,000 migrants are stranded in that border region of Guatemala and Mexico. That's often due to bureaucratic delays, according to some of the migrants caught in limbo.

It is difficult to know what the daily lives of North Koreans are really like, given the limited access Pyongyang allows to the country. But now, an aid worker who has spent decades helping North Koreans is sharing her experiences and never before seen video with CNN. We should warn you that some of these images are disturbing. Senior International Correspondent Will Ripley has the report.

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WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: These are images the North Korean government does not want you to see. Far away from the showpiece capital Pyongyang, inside the homes of everyday people struggling to survive during the darkest days of the North Korean famine in the 1990s.

KATHI ZELLWEGER, SWISS AID WORKER: And this child had the same old face than her grandmother. That struck me.

RIPLEY: Kathi Zellweger is a Swiss aid worker who spent nearly 25 years running humanitarian programs in North Korea. 75 trips, five years living there. Foreign journalists have never been granted this kind of access. Not even me on my 19 trips.

We're looking at them, but they're looking at us as well. Every time I try to take a picture of those girls, they run away. What is it like to be born and to grow up in North Korea?

ZELLWEGER: I think you know parents try their best to look after children well, but it's challenging, especially in the countryside, to -- to provide.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 3,200 tons of rice arrived several days ago.

RIPLEY: Kathi brought in massive shipments of food, but she still had to verify where it was going. Following the food took her deeper and deeper into North Korea.

MIKE CHINOY, FORMER CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: There are thousands, if not tens of thousands, of North Koreans who are alive today, who would be dead if it wasn't for the work that Kathi Zellweger did.

RIPLEY: In later years, she could feel the government tightening its grip, especially after diplomacy with the U.S. fell apart and North Korea was no longer interested in engaging with the West.

ZELLWEGER: The word "control" was used much more widely than before.

RIPLEY: So, you thought it was getting more restrictive and more controlling in more recent years.

ZELLWEGER: Yeah.

Bye-bye. Can you say bye-bye?

RIPLEY: Then suddenly the door slammed shut. Kathi often thinks about all the people she met, people she may never see or hear from again. Will Ripley, CNN.

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ABDELAZIZ: Still to come this hour, a look at one of the liveliest, most colorful autumn festivals anywhere in the world. You're watching CNN Newsroom.

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ABDELAZIZ: A huge floral carpet made for more than 300,000 dahlia flowers is now on display in Bradford, England. The giant living artwork stretches 29 meters, that's about 95 feet long and is the first display of its kind in the country. The impressive display is modeled after an annual event in Belgium that started in the 1970s. The flower carpet is open to the public until Sunday.

The calendar in the Northern Hemisphere has finally turned to autumn, and that means millions of people are celebrating harvest season, one of the most colorful events is taking place in Hong Kong. CNN's Kristie Lu Stout is there for us.

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KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The streets here are erupting with party energy and fire. I am in the Tai Hang district of Hong Kong. This is the home of the annual Fire Dance Festival for the Mid- Autumn Festival. This is when every year across three nights, hundreds of dancers carry this very impressive fire dragon through the streets of Hong Kong. It's coming our way right now. The fire dragon is some 67 meters long. That's 220 feet long.

It's also covered with 12,000 burning incessant sticks. So, we got to be careful when it swings by. This is a tradition that's been happening here in Taihan District since 1880. And take a close look at the dragon. It's made out of rattan. It's made of straw and rope. The face, in particular, very impressive, with glowing electric eyes and teeth made out of iron and a dragon gear that's made out of the roots of a banyan tree.

This is all part of the Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations that are underway in many parts of East Asia and Southeast Asia. You know, like this is a time for families to get together, to feast, to celebrate the harvest, to admire the full moon, to also bring out lit lanterns, and of course to eat those moon-shaped treats like pomelo, or of course the moon cake.

But here in Tai Hang, it takes a very different dimension. Here in Tai Hang, the Mid-Autumn Festival celebrated this way by unleashing the beast and by dancing with the fire dragon. And there we have it. You did one good job.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

LU STOUT: That was fantastic.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you. Thank you.

LU STOUT: It's great. Thank you. How are you feeling?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ah, exhausted.

LU STOUT: How are you feeling right now?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ah, pretty good. It's my second time here.

LU STOUT: Second time here? Happy Mid-Autumn Festival.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Happy Mid-Autumn Festival to you too.

LU STOUT: And it burns?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A little bit in my shirt.

LU STOUT: Yeah. I got a little bit too.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have it.

LU STOUT: That was fantastic, guys. Good job.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, thank you, thank you.

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ABDELAZIZ: Now, in the U.S. some cities are celebrating Dolly Parton Appreciation Day. It's not her birthday or the date of her death after a brief battle with cancer. Instead, today's event is a nod to the late country legend's classic film and tune, "9 to 5." Celebrations across the country, such as in New York and New Orleans, will include parades and music events. Also honoring Dolly Parton is Irish rock band, U2. They announced that

they're going to release their first new album in nearly a decade. They say it features Parton's final recorded vocal performance before her death. That collaboration is titled "Torn," one of 12 new tracks on U2's 16th studio album.

And it's a big day for Swifties. The superstar is releasing new music. "The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore," arrives today. It has a song titled "Cleveland," near where Taylor Swift's husband, NFL star Travis Kelce, was born. On social media, Swift credited her fans for the album's original success. It was the biggest first week of her career.

Thank you for watching. I'm Salma Abdelaziz. CNN Headline Express is coming up next, right after a quick break.

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