The U.S. National Anthem is played as the presidents of China and the U.S. meet at China’s Great Hall of the People.

U.S. President Donald J. Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping review a joint PLA, PLAN, and PLAAF honor guard at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China.

U.S. President Donald J. Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping watch as the joint Chinese armed forces guard conducts a pass in review, following the beginning of their state visit at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China.

Per Jennifer Jacobs with CBS News, according to U.S. Vice President JD Vance, he recently spoke with White House Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Envoy Jared Kushner on talks with Iran and said that talks are still progressing, but added that U.S. President Donald J. Trump “needs to feel confident that we've put a number of protections in place such that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon.”

The bilateral one-on-one+delegation talks between U.S. President Donald J. Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping and their respective delegations are now happening inside China’s Great Hall of the People, following the formal welcome ceremony.

According to a release from U.S. Africa Command, U.S. Air Force pararescuemen with the 406th Air Expeditionary Wing, Moroccan military mountaineers, and Moroccan Civil Protection recovered the body of Spc.
Mariyah Symone Collington of Charlie Battery, 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command. Spc. Collington was involved in an accident during exercise African Lion 26, after both she and another soldier fell into the water and immediate the rescue efforts of her fellow soldiers failed.

Chinese President Xi Jinping gives an address now, saying that the U.S. and China have more commonalities than differences and urged more convergence on key areas of contention.

A large Russian ballistic missile, cruise missile, and drone attack was launched earlier against Kyiv proper and other oblasts throughout the nation.

U.S. President Donald J. Trump arrives at China’s Great Hall of the People with Chinese President Xi Jinping for a state dinner just earlier. President Trump subsequently formally invited President Xi to the United States.

Following reports of smoke rising from the Fujairah Petroleum Industries Area, the Fujairah Media Office has said that the smoke is due to ongoing maintenance of a pipeline.

According to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) Centre, an incident occurred 38nm northeast of Fujairah, United Arab Emirates where a vessel was boarded and taken to Iranian waters. This is likely another seizure of a vessel by the IRGC-N.
More to come.

Following the bilateral U.S.-China talks in Beijing, China earlier today, the White House has released a statement saying that the two delegations discussed issues such as market access into China, Chinese investment in U.S. industries, drugs, specifically fentanyl, the “free flow” of trade through the Strait of Hormuz, and other key issues.

Speaking to NBC News, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that current U.S. policy on Taiwan remains “unchanged.” Despite Chinese claims that a stern warning on the potential for escalation over Taiwan was delivered to the U.S. delegation during talks, Secretary Rubio said that arms sales and other issues centered on Taiwan were not discussed at length and the White House release on the meeting was devoid of any mention of Taiwan.

Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), will testify on force posture within his area of responsibility at a Senate posture hearing at 10am today.

In remarks to the Senate Armed Services Committee this morning, the commanding officer of U.S. Central Command, Admiral Brad Cooper, stated that in the 30 months before the launch of Operation Epic Fury, Iranian linked groups were responsible for more than 350 attacks injuring 200 Americans and killing 4.

During talks between the U.S. and China earlier today, both sides seemingly agreed on key issues on Iran. Most notably, that Iran cannot be allowed to charge tolls for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

According to BBC, the vessel that the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said was taken to Iranian waters earlier today was a floating armory used by Chinese private military contractors in the local region who protect vessels from piracy. The vessel in question is the Honduras-flagged Hui Chuan.

Following a U.S. government plane seen leaving Havana, Cuba, CBS has learned that CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Cuba to meet with his Cuban counterpart in the Ministry of the Interior. Topics of discussion included Cuba’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism (SST) and recent comments by top U.S. officials that Cuba poses a national security threat.

According to Barak Ravid, citing a CIA official, CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Cuban Minister of Interior Lazaro Alvarez Casas and the head of Cuban intelligence, and discussed economic and security issues. However, per the report from Ravid, such cooperation will only be possible if Cuba makes a serious effort to deter U.S. adversaries from using Cuba as a springboard for U.S. adversaries, such as Russia and China.