Beijing is reportedly planning retaliatory measures (Reuters) after the U.S. State Department announced new visa restrictions on Chinese officials linked to the country’s campaign against Muslim minorities in the Xinjiang region. The U.S. move (State Dept.) comes ahead of high-level trade talks between the countries in Washington.
 
Vice Premier Liu He will attend the talks, which start tomorrow and are the first to be held in the United States between top negotiators since negotiations broke down in May (SCMP). U.S. President Donald J. Trump has said that if no progress is made, tariff hikes on $250 billion worth of Chinese goods will take effect on October 15 (Reuters). New International Monetary Fund chief Kristalina Georgieva warned that inaction to resolve trade tensions could quicken a global slowdown.

The National Basketball Association commissioner is traveling to Shanghai to meet with Chinese officials (NYT) about the cancellation of game broadcasts in China after a team’s general manager expressed support for Hong Kong pro-democracy protests on Twitter. The commissioner said he will protect employees’ freedom of speech.

At least thirty-nine civilians were killed in May air strikes by U.S. and allied forces that targeted drug labs in the country’s west, according to a new report [PDF] by the UN mission in Afghanistan and the UN human rights agency. The report said the labs were not lawful targets of such attacks.
 
Bangladesh: A student was allegedly lynched (Hindu) after he was questioned by the student wing of the ruling political party, prompting protests at universities across Bangladesh. He had criticized the government’s trade policies on social media.

Turkish troops are gathered near the border with Syria for a military operation that a top Turkish official said will begin shortly (NYT). The offensive is aimed at clearing out Kurdish fighters in northern Syria who have fought alongside U.S. forces against the self-proclaimed Islamic State.
 
CFR’s Steven A. Cook lays out why the Syrian conflict is about to intensify.
 
Yemen: The United Arab Emirates has withdrawn some forces (Reuters) from the port city of Aden, according to officials and witnesses. The Saudi-backed Yemeni government and UAE-backed separatists are negotiating a deal to end the standoff in the city.
 
CFR’s Global Conflict Tracker looks at the latest developments in Yemen’s war.

President Muhammadu Buhari presented the $34 billion budget (Al Jazeera) to lawmakers with the aim of spurring growth as the country recovers from recession. The budget includes raising the value-added tax from 5 to 7.5 percent.
 
Mali: Al-Qaeda’s West Africa affiliate claimed responsibility (Reuters) for attacks on two military bases last week that killed thirty-eight soldiers. Dozens are still missing.

A top-secret Russian military unit has for at least a decade sought to destabilize countries across the region through assassination and coup attempts, according to a New York Times report based on interviews with Western security officials.
 
Italy: The lower house of parliament voted to reduce the number of seats (BBC) in both houses from 945 to 600, a move the antiestablishment Five Star Movement had vowed as a cost-cutting measure.

The country’s production could drop by one-third (Reuters) as demonstrators continue to block access to oil facilities, the energy ministry said. The nationwide protests oppose the government’s decision to end fuel subsidies.
 
Colombia: Former President Alvaro Uribe was questioned by the country’s top court over accusations he bribed witnesses to recant testimony (Al Jazeera) linking him to a paramilitary group.

The White House said in a letter to congressional Democrats that it will not cooperate (CNN) with the impeachment inquiry regarding Trump’s relations with Ukraine. The State Department blocked U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland from testifying before lawmakers yesterday.
 
CFR’s James M. Lindsay answers five questions about the impeachment inquiry.