September 29, Friday, 2023

1. The US State Department has announced that US and Chinese senior diplomatic officials held talks in Washington this week. The department said US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink met Chinese Vice Foreign Minister for Asia Sun Weidong on Wednesday. 2. Japanese Princess Kako, the second daughter of Crown Prince and Princess Akishino, will visit Peru in November to mark 150 years of diplomatic relations between the countries. Prince Kako will our the South American nation for 10 days starting on November 1. It will be her second official overseas trip. Japan and Peru signed a commerce and navigation treaty in 1873. 3. The US Defense Department says Ukrainian pilots have begun training in the United States to fly F-16 fighter jets. But the training program could be disrupted if the US government shuts down this weekend. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh confirmed that English language training has started for several pilots from Ukraine. Such training is required for pilots to learn the technical terms needed to operate the fighter jets.