A six-hour meeting between senior U.S. and Chinese officials was described by both sides as “constructive” (SCMP) and ended with an agreement in principle (NYT) for U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping to meet virtually by the end of the year. 

The meeting’s tone marked a shift from confrontational talks in March between U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and top Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi. Sullivan’s office said the United States has sought better senior-level engagement with China, while Beijing said it noted Biden’s comments last month that Washington does not intend to engage in a “new Cold War.” Yesterday’s talks covered several areas of disagreement (AP), such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, Xinjiang, and maritime disputes, as well as the importance of addressing climate change.

The agency said the supplies are traveling (Yonhap) through the Chinese port of Dalian, suggesting that Pyongyang could ease the strict border controls imposed at the start of the pandemic.

Russia said it will hold international talks (Reuters) on Afghanistan on October 20. Moscow hosted a conference on the country in March, prior to the Taliban’s takeover, that included the United States, China, and Pakistan.

This timeline traces the two-decade U.S. war in Afghanistan.

Pakistan: A 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck the country’s western province of Balochistan, killing at least twenty people (Dawn) and injuring over three hundred.

The two countries brought back (AP) eleven women and thirty-seven children from a camp where suspected members of the self-declared Islamic State were held. The women will now face preliminary criminal charges.

Iran/Lebanon: Iran’s foreign minister is meeting with senior Lebanese officials (Al Jazeera) today to discuss supporting the country amid its economic collapse.

The World Health Organization recommended the Mosquirix vaccine (Al Jazeera), the first malaria vaccine ever approved, following large-scale trials in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi. It has been shown to be about 30 percent effective at preventing severe cases in children.

For Think Global Health, Winnie Mpanju-Shumbusho and Robert D. Newman write that, like pandemic prevention, effectively preventing malaria requires increased health investments.

Guinea: Guinea’s military leader, who claimed power in a September 6 coup, named engineer and former UN official Mohamed Beavogui the new prime minister (AfricaNews, AFP).

The legislature is set to debate and vote today (AP) on whether to approve a five-year mutual defense pact with France that the countries’ leaders signed on September 28.

Russia: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will expel eight members (WaPo) of the Russian delegation to the alliance, saying that they were undeclared Russian intelligence officers.

President Pedro Castillo replaced a Marxist prime minister (FT) with a more moderate leftist lawmaker and swapped out half a dozen other cabinet members. 

In this In Brief, CFR’s Paul J. Angelo and Chloe Mauvais write that Castillo alienated center-left voters with his dogmatism during the presidential campaign.

Brazil: Two right-wing political parties said they plan to merge (Reuters) to form the largest party in the country’s current National Congress and offer an alternative to President Jair Bolsonaro in the 2022 general election.

A federal judge ordered a halt on enforcement (NYT) of the recent ban, siding with a federal government lawsuit. The state of Texas said it will appeal the ruling.