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China and the United States are divided on many issues, from tariffs and technology to Taiwan. But there is one thing tying them together: fast food. American restaurant and beverage chains are expanding rapidly in China, drawn by the potential customer pool in a country with four times the U.S. population. China's languishing economy and cutthroat industry competition, meanwhile, have Chinese chains trying their luck in the U.S., turning crumbs and straws into a two-way cultural bridge between the two superpowers. The bilateral trade in burgers and bubble tea is business- and consumer-led gastrodiplomacy in action, said Yaling Jiang, the founder of ApertureChina, a market research company with headquarters in Shanghai and London. In China, recent American arrivals like Popeyes and Five Guys are seen as a guilty pleasure, she said, while the increasingly international palates of Americans have created space for Chinese brands to serve as their nation's unofficial ambassadors. “Consumerism builds a safe, introductory channel for contemporary Chinese culture and can be a great way to elevate China’s soft power,” Jiang said. The White House has not revealed the menu for the state dinner that U.S. President Donald Trump is hosting for Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday. But a taste for a cheap, crowd-pleasing meal may be something the two leaders share. In 2013, Xi made a rare public visit to a steamed-bun restaurant in Beijing. He waited in line and ordered a 21-yuan ($3) meal featuring six pork-and-scallion buns, vegetables, and a bowl of stewed pork liver and intestines. Trump’s love of fast food is legendary; he even manned a fry station at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s during his 2024 campaign. American fast-food companies are expanding their presence in China Last month, Chinese customers lined up in the rain for the opening of the first Church’s Texas Chicken in Shanghai. Church’s plans at least 600 more across China. Wendy’s says it anticipates opening 1,000 restaurants there over the next decade. Established players are deepening their reach as well. McDonald’s plans 1,000 new Chinese restaurants this year and 10,000 total by 2028. Burger King, which arrived in China in 2005, says it expects to triple its store count to 4,000 by 2035. “Despite political tensions between the U.S. and China, Chinese actually still go crazy for American brands,” said Shaun Rein, founder and managing director of the Shanghai-based China Market Research Group. KFC became the first major American fast-food chain to enter mainland China when it opened a Beijing restaurant in 1987. At the time, it was viewed as a premium destination worth taking a date to, Rein said. McDonald's and Pizza Hut arrived in 1990. “McDonald’s and KFC were a beacon of health and hygiene compared to what you had in the rest of the market,” Rein said. China is now KFC’s largest market by far. The Kentucky-born fried chicken chain counts about 13,000 restaurants in China, compared with around 3,750 in the U.S. American brands see room for further growth. Much of China’s population lives in the smaller, inland cities where brands like McDonald’s and Starbucks are rolling out stores, said Sory Park, a project manager at China-focused market research and strategy firm Daxue Consulting. That doesn't make China a cakewalk for foreign restaurant companies. Most American chains now rely on Chinese partners to find locations and share the financial risk. Earlier this year, a Chinese investment firm acquired a 60% stake in Starbucks' China operation after several years of falling store traffic. American chains trade on their brand names and signature products, but many tailor their menus to appeal to Chinese customers. KFC restaurants in China, for example, serve french fries and Original Recipe chicken alongside custardy egg tarts and congee, a savory rice porridge. “They need to operate like a Chinese company but deliver American menus that incorporate Chinese values, eating habits, and tastes,” Park said. Chinese fast-food chains seek new opportunities in the US Mixue, one of the world’s largest fast-food chains with more than 53,000 locations, opened its first three U.S. stores in December. Mirroring the Shanghai crowd outside Church's Texas Chicken, New York customers waited in the cold to sample soft-serve ice cream, fruit teas and milk tea with toppings like coconut jelly and taro balls at a store in Herald Square. Mixue has announced at least two dozen more planned locations across four states. At least nine other mainland Chinese chains have made their U.S. debuts since 2023, all but one specializing primarily in drinks and snacks. They include Heytea, with 40 U.S. locations, and Luckin Coffee, which overtook Starbucks as China’s biggest coffee brand and has 20 stores in New York. Wallace, a chain founded in 2000, grew to more than 20,000 restaurants by selling American-style chicken and hamburgers in China. In California, where the second U.S. Wallace opened last month, the company tweaked its chicken sandwich recipe to appeal to American diners. Before entering the U.S., many major Chinese food-and-beverage chains expanded in Southeast Asia. A real estate slump and weak consumer spending made growth harder to find at home. The average life span of China's 16 million restaurants and chains was expected to fall to 15 months last year, according to a U.S. government report. The American restaurant industry is considerably smaller, with 1 million locations, according to the National Restaurant Association. Jiang, of ApertureChina, sees another advantage for Chinese brands: a social media trend called “Chinamaxxing,” in which Westerners adopt Chinese lifestyle habits or wellness practices. Not every brand makes its origins clear. Wallace's U.S. website and social media pages do not mention the brand's Chinese ownership or headquarters in southeastern China’s Fujian province. The company didn’t respond to an email from The Associated Press. The U.S. carries both potential rewards and risks for Chinese chains American and Chinese chains alike have an appetite for opportunities across the Pacific. But Chinese brands remain largely unproven stateside. Even chains with thousands of locations elsewhere are testing whether novelty can translate into loyalty. The U.S. is too lucrative a market to ignore, said Aaron Allen, founder of restaurant consulting firm Aaron Allen and Associates. It accounts for one-third of global restaurant revenue despite having only around 4% of the world’s population, he said. “The grass is always greener somewhere else in the world,” Allen said. While American brands can carry a premium image in China, many Chinese brands compete heavily on price. At a Mixue in Hollywood this week, a medium matcha latte cost $6.83; a nearby Starbucks sold the same drink for almost $1 more. Wallace sells three full-size chicken sandwiches for $10. “The Chinese can build stuff cheaper and faster. Why would that not apply to food?” Allen said. But Allen said Chinese brands could face customer backlash or higher tariffs if they undercut U.S. rivals with low-cost Chinese imports. Like other Chinese companies, restaurant brands also could face U.S. scrutiny over their collection and use of customer data, he said. Luckin Coffee co-founder and CEO Jinyi Guo told investors in February that the U.S. “represents one of our important long-term opportunities” and the company was proceeding “with great patience and discipline.”    

Ukrainian forces launched a massive overnight drone attack firing more than 1,000 drones at Russia, including hundreds targeted at Moscow, officials said Sunday as the Kremlin concluded the third and final day of its parliamentary elections. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin described the wave as the "largest ever" and "unprecedented" attack on the Russian capital, stating that 450 drones were destroyed en route to the city. He confirmed that the strikes caused damage to the Moscow Oil Refinery and a residential building. Sobyanin added that the attack was an attempt to disrupt the elections, asserting, "The enemy failed in this regard". In the wider Moscow region, local Governor Andrei Vorobyov reported two deaths and 20 injuries. The deceased were identified as a 74-year-old man and a 44-year-old woman.   Russia's Ministry of Defense claimed its forces intercepted and shot down 1,100 Ukrainian drones across the nation, over the Black Sea, and above the annexed Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea. The voting marked Russia's first wartime parliamentary election, an exercise virtually devoid of opposition to President Vladimir Putin's policies and structured to solidify the Kremlin's rule. Balloting was also conducted in Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014, as well as in four Ukrainian regions annexed after the war began that Moscow still does not fully control. Kyiv has condemned the voting in these territories as illegal.

The U.S. military killed four people Saturday in a strike on a suspected drug-smuggling boat in the Caribbean Sea, as the Trump administration continues its monthslong campaign against alleged traffickers in Latin America. The latest attack brings the death toll from U.S. boat strikes to at least 231 in 69 operations since targeting "narcoterrorists" almost a year ago. U.S. Southern Command said it targeted known smuggling routes, though the military provided no evidence the vessel carried drugs, releasing only a video on X showing a moving boat followed by a flash. The administration is seeking deals to extend land operations across Latin America. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras agreed to joint military operations, though Guatemala denied reaching such a deal. Ecuador launched similar joint missions in March. President Donald Trump justified the attacks by claiming the U.S. is in "armed conflict" with cartels to curb fatal overdoses, though his administration has offered little evidence supporting claims of killing smugglers.

Yemeni government forces killed 12 Houthi fighters on Saturday while repelling an infiltration attempt in the northeastern oil-rich province of Marib. According to a government statement released on social media platform X, troops clashed with Houthi fighters attempting to penetrate defensive positions in the Al-Faliha area south of Marib, forcing them to retreat while wounding several others. A Yemeni military official told media on condition of anonymity that Houthi forces are mobilizing fighters and allied tribal groups across several fronts around Marib for a potential large-scale offensive aimed at capturing the energy-rich region. In response, government forces have reinforced their defensive positions. Warplanes also carried out a series of airstrikes targeting Houthi reinforcements and positions across several areas of Marib. The renewed clashes in Marib come as wider fighting expands across multiple Yemeni fronts. Military sources reported that at least 44 government and Houthi fighters were killed over the past 24 hours in southwestern Taiz and neighboring southern Lahj province. The Yemen conflict erupted in late 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and much of northern Yemen, prompting a Saudi-led military coalition to intervene in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognized government.

At least 44 people were killed in fighting between Yemeni government forces and the Houthi group over the past 24 hours, military sources from both sides said Saturday. A government military source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Xinhua that battles were raging across southwestern Taiz and Lahj provinces, with both sides sending reinforcements to contested fronts stretching toward the key waterway. In Taiz, fierce clashes continued in the Al-Kadha and Al-Wazi'iyah areas, where government forces repelled several Houthi attacks over the past 24 hours, leaving six government soldiers and 11 Houthi fighters dead, according to the source. "The Houthis sent in large reinforcements and tried to break through our defensive lines at several positions, but the attacks were repelled," the source said. Further south, another government military official told Xinhua that fighting was raging around the Kahbub mountain area in Lahj, where the two sides are battling for control of strategic high ground overlooking the approaches to Bab al-Mandab. The official said 12 government soldiers had been killed in the fighting on the Kahbub front over the past 24 hours. On the other side, a Houthi military source told Xinhua that 15 Houthi fighters, including a commander, had been killed in the fighting taking place in Kahbub over the same 24-hour period. The latest fighting follows major Houthi gains along Yemen's southwestern Red Sea coast earlier this month. The group captured the strategic port city of Mocha on Sept. 10 before advancing south toward Bab al-Mandab and taking Mayyun, or Perim Island, in the heart of the strait on Sept. 11. Yemen's conflict erupted in late 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and much of northern Yemen, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognized government.  

Syria's Ministry of Defense on Saturday held a funeral for 11 of its personnel killed in an explosion at a military site in the eastern province of Deir al-Zour a day earlier, according to state media. The funeral procession was held at the National Hospital in Deir al-Zour city for the 11 servicemen killed in Friday's explosion in the Ayash area west of the provincial capital. The explosion occurred at a weapons storage facility, according to local authorities. Emergency, health, and security teams were dispatched to the area following the blast, while rescue teams searched for casualties and missing personnel. The cause of the blast remains under investigation, with no official findings released yet. The incident comes amid a series of explosions at ammunition and weapons storage facilities in Syria this month. Earlier in September, an explosion at a temporary facility used to collect weapons and remnants of war near Sarmada in the northwestern province of Idlib killed 14 people, according to local health authorities. Another explosion was reported at an ammunition storage site near al-Dumayr in the Damascus countryside this month, with no casualties reported. Deir al-Zour province, which borders Iraq and is bisected by the Euphrates River, was a major battlefield during Syria's years of conflict and continues to face security challenges as well as risks posed by weapons and unexploded ordnance left from the war.  

Denmark's government on Saturday cautiously welcomed US President Donald Trump's announcement of an agreement on Greenland that would expand the US military presence on the Arctic island while keeping it under Danish control. The announcement follows months of threats by Trump to take control of Greenland, a semiautonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark and a NATO ally. Greenland's top diplomat also welcomed the development, saying the agreement had been a long time coming. Trump said Friday that the deal would give the United States “permanent control over security” and address its security concerns in Greenland. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen's office later said the agreement would be signed by the US, Denmark and Greenland next week during the United Nations General Assembly. However, it still requires approval by the Danish and Greenlandic parliaments before it can take effect. “Next week could be a good week … for Greenland, Denmark, and the United States alike,” Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen wrote on Instagram. He said the agreement could replace a period of uncertainty with a binding arrangement that strengthens security in the Arctic and North Atlantic while respecting Denmark's and Greenland's red lines. Greenland Foreign Minister Múte B. Egede said he was pleased that an agreement was now within reach. “It has taken some time,” he told Danish broadcaster TV2. “I'm pleased that we finally have an end product within reach. And it's about time.” Trump said the United States would immediately begin expanding its military presence in Greenland, which is rich in mineral resources. The US maintained several military bases and installations on the island during the Cold War but later reduced its presence. It still operates the Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland, which supports missile warning, missile defense and space surveillance operations for the US and NATO. Few details of the new agreement have been made public. A US State Department official said it would prohibit non-NATO military bases in Greenland, restrict investments by potential adversaries and prevent China and Russia from establishing bases there. The official spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to comment publicly. US, Danish and Greenlandic officials had been holding quiet negotiations for months to address Trump's security concerns about Greenland, which has about 56,000 residents. After returning to the White House, Trump repeatedly urged Denmark to sell Greenland to the US and said the territory was important to American security. He also refused to rule out using military force to take control of the island. Denmark and Greenland have repeatedly said Greenland is not for sale and rejected reports that the US had been gathering intelligence there. Russia and several European countries also strongly opposed the US push for Greenland. Greenland pro-sovereignty activist Orla Joelsen said on X that the fight against Trump's plan to take over Greenland had been won. The new agreement, the activist said, explicitly recognizes Denmark's sovereignty and territorial integrity and the Greenlandic people's right to self-determination.

The United States has lifted sanctions imposed on Eritrea’s ruling party and military by the Biden administration, according to the US Department of the Treasury. The sanctions were imposed in 2021 over humanitarian and human rights concerns linked to the conflict in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region, where Eritrean forces supported Ethiopian troops against fighters loyal to the regional government. The conflict ended with a peace accord in November 2022. In a statement issued Friday, the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said sanctions had also been removed from several Eritrean individuals, including Hagos Ghebrehiwet, a key financial official. The state-owned Red Sea Trading Corporation was also removed from the sanctions list. Eritrean Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel said the sanctions had been unjustified and caused significant damage to the country. “We welcome the gesture and remedial measures by the Trump Administration,” Gebremeskel told The Associated Press. The lifting of the sanctions comes amid growing concerns over security in the Red Sea. Recent advances by Houthi forces in Yemen have increased threats to shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, while Eritrea’s southern coastline and the port of Assab are located near the strategic waterway linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.

Saudi Arabia warned of a "hostile aerial threat" and issued a series of emergency alerts across the country late Friday and early Saturday, with at least one explosion heard in the capital, Riyadh. No casualties or damage were reported after the alerts were lifted. Saudi authorities did not say what triggered the warnings or explain the reported explosions. However, they have previously said they intercepted missiles and drones launched by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. The alert in Riyadh was the first reported warning in the Saudi capital since the latest escalation involving the Houthis. Meanwhile, Iran's state television reported Saturday that a man identified as Hossein Pedram was executed after being convicted of spying for Israel's intelligence agency, Mossad. According to the report, Pedram passed classified information about sensitive military sites in Iran's Isfahan province to Israel. It did not explain how he obtained the information. Pedram was reportedly arrested after the sites, including missile bases, were targeted during a 12-day air war between Iran, Israel and the United States in June last year. The executions have drawn international criticism from human rights groups. UN Security Council condemns Houthi attacks The U.N. Security Council on Friday condemned the Houthis' military escalation, including attacks and threats against Saudi Arabia and commercial vessels. The council said the attacks "risk further expanding the conflict, threatening maritime security and international trade" while undermining regional and international efforts to achieve peace in Yemen. It also warned that continued escalation could worsen Yemen's already severe humanitarian situation. The council's 15 members called for "practical cooperation" to prevent the Iran-backed Houthis from obtaining weapons, military training, financing and other support needed to carry out attacks. They also stressed that all countries must enforce the U.N. arms embargo against the rebel group.Clarify the confusing timeline and scopeRemove the unsupported executions plural

Russia's parliamentary election is for the first time including residents of four Ukrainian regions that Moscow claims to have annexed since launching its full-scale invasion more than 4 1/2 years ago, in a move aimed at strengthening its control over the areas. Ukraine strongly condemned the voting as illegal, while a human rights activist said residents in Russian-held areas were being pressured to take part. Voting across Russia began Friday and will continue through Sunday in an effort to boost turnout. However, balloting in the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and some Russian border areas began at the end of last month. Russian officials said the extended voting period was necessary for security reasons. Russian authorities say more than 3.5 million voters live in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, which Moscow calls the "new regions." Russia declared the territories annexed in September 2022, although it did not fully control them. The annexations have not been internationally recognized. At a polling station in the Russian-held part of Donetsk, voters cast ballots while an armed Russian soldier stood nearby. Putin highlights importance of vote Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that voting in the regions was important, as residents would elect members of the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, for the first time since what he called their "reunification with Russia." Russian soldiers fighting in the war also will be allowed to vote, Putin said. Voting is also taking place in Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula that Russia annexed in 2014. The election is the first wartime parliamentary vote in Russia and is intended to reinforce the Kremlin's political control and demonstrate public support for the war. "Your choice and resolve will once again demonstrate that millions of people stand behind our fighters," Putin said, adding that Russians were united by shared values, historical memory and love for their homeland. Ukraine calls for rejection of vote Ukrainian authorities described the voting in the occupied territories as illegal and urged foreign governments and international organizations not to recognize the election or its results. Kyiv also warned Ukrainians that helping organize the vote could result in criminal charges. A coalition of nine Ukrainian human rights organizations urged residents in Russian-held territories to avoid the polls, saying the election was an attempt to legitimize Russia's occupation and attempted annexation of Ukrainian territory. European Commission spokesperson Christian Wigand said holding the vote in the occupied regions was "another blatant violation of international law." "The European Union does not, and will never recognize" the elections or their results, Wigand said. Activists allege pressure on residents Violeta Artemchuk, coordinator of the Donbas SOS human rights group and one of the signatories of the statement, said local election officials were visiting homes with Russian soldiers and security agents to pressure people into voting. She said Moscow-backed authorities were also threatening public-sector workers with dismissal if they did not vote and making pensions and other social benefits conditional on participation. People receiving social assistance, including pensioners and people with disabilities, could be placed on lists of those considered "disloyal" and risk losing benefits or humanitarian aid if they refused to vote, Artemchuk said. Volodymyr Fesenko, a political analyst at the Kyiv-based Penta Center, said elections held under such conditions could not be considered genuine. "The very fact that voting takes place amid endless shelling and bombing reflects the Kremlin's attitude toward the people and the electoral process in the occupied territories," Fesenko told The Associated Press. He said electoral procedures conducted by Russian occupation authorities "have nothing to do with democracy."Make the wire copy more conciseImprove the lead’s clarity and flow