United States Department of the Treasury

Opinion | Chilling effect of US outbound investment rules will extend beyond China

4 Feb 2026 - 9:55PMvideocam

US Treasury chief Bessent warns Canada on trade fights, slams EU-India deal

29 Jan 2026 - 8:26AMvideocam

US forces seize seventh sanctioned oil tanker linked to Venezuela

MV Sagitta is the latest ship linked to Venezuela that the US has captured since early December.

21 Jan 2026 - 1:01PM

The US military’s Southern Command said it captured the MV Sagitta ‘without incident’. Photo: US Southern Command via X

Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong firm sanctioned by US in Venezuela crackdown found to use bogus address

Post finds vacant offices, shared secretaries in US-hit Hong Kong firms tied to Venezuelan oil exports, as namesake local company fears backlash.

3 Jan 2026 - 10:52PM

US sanctions Chinese companies and tankers with Venezuela links

The move could be a signal to Beijing to steer clear of the stand-off between the Trump administration and the Maduro government.

2 Jan 2026 - 5:46AMvideocam

Trump declares fentanyl a ‘weapon of mass destruction’

US president dramatically escalates his fight against the drug by signing an executive order and warning against the ‘scourge’ of fentanyl.

16 Dec 2025 - 2:05PM

US President Donald Trump with his signed executive order classifying fentanyl as a ‘weapon of mass destruction’. Photo: Reuters

US-China trade war

US seeks ‘constructive’ reset with China as trade tensions ease: Greer

Trade envoy says Washington aims to steady ties after a bruising tariff year, even as disputes over minerals and AI chips persist.

11 Dec 2025 - 6:22AMvideocam

US labels Venezuelan group terrorists amid massive military build-up

Venezuela rejects US terrorist designation as a ‘ridiculous lie’ aimed at paving the way for an ‘illegitimate’ US military intervention.

25 Nov 2025 - 11:30AM

Japan

Cambodian tycoon linked to scam empire owned luxury condo in Tokyo

The Prince Holding Group boss, who is accused of running a conglomerate built on cyberscam operations, visited Japan frequently.

18 Nov 2025 - 9:31AMvideocam

Tokyo’s skyline. Cambodian tycoon Chen Zhi, indicted in the US for fraud, owned a luxury home in the Japanese capital. Photo: AFP

Middle East

US sanctions firms from China to India over Iranian weapons

The US also targeted Ma Jie, an individual based in China, who is accused of helping Iranian defence officials meet Chinese suppliers.

13 Nov 2025 - 3:49AMvideocam

Iranians visit an exhibition showcasing missile and drone achievements in Tehran on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

Scams and swindles

Editorial | Silver lining in sprawling scam case is cross-border cooperation

The brazen criminal case involving Chen Zhi shows the importance of joint global efforts against cybercrime and transnational scams.

12 Nov 2025 - 6:45AM

Syria

Syria joins alliance against Isis after Trump hosts ex-jihadist president

President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s White House visit caps a remarkable turnaround for a former jihadist who once had a US$10 million bounty on his head.

11 Nov 2025 - 4:01PM

North Korea

North Korea slams US for ‘wicked’ hostility over sanctions linked to cybercrime

The sanctions are part of US President Donald Trump’s strategy of applying pressure before negotiations, an analyst says.

7 Nov 2025 - 9:30AMvideocam

North Korea’s state-sponsored hacking schemes had stolen billions of dollars of mostly digital assets to help finance the country’s nuclear weapons programme, the US Treasury Department said. Photo: Shutterstock

US targets Chinese in North Korea-related sanctions over money laundering

A North Korean tech firm accused of using Chinese nationals as banking proxies to obfuscate the origin of funds was among those targeted.

5 Nov 2025 - 2:55AMvideocam

A man watches footage of a North Korean missile test in Seoul in March. The US Treasury said the sanctions are aimed at cutting off funding for North Korea’s weapons programmes. Photo: TNS

Singapore

Singapore seizes US$115 million in assets linked to tycoon behind scam hub

Police said probe into the Prince Group boss started last year after receiving intelligence from the Suspicious Transaction Reporting Office.

31 Oct 2025 - 2:04PMvideocam

US sanctions Colombia president over drugs, amid escalating row with Trump

Gustavo Petro has accused the US president of carrying out ‘extrajudicial executions’ by striking alleged drug-trafficking vessels.

25 Oct 2025 - 6:19AM

US-China trade war

Trump and Xi’s shock tactics see trade war remain in a stalemate

Former government officials and analysts believe this is the price you pay when diplomatic negotiation fails and compromise is ignored.

18 Oct 2025 - 7:16AMvideocam

Former government officials and analysts say that US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are ignoring diplomatic norms as the trade war intensifies. Photo: AFP

Shutdown costing US economy US$15 billion a day, Treasury chief Bessent says

The shutdown is starting to ‘cut into muscle’ and is slowing down a wave of investment, Bessent says.

16 Oct 2025 - 1:08AM

Donald Trump

Trump orders Pentagon to use ‘all available funds’ to pay troops despite shutdown

No similar action seems to be coming for federal workers, thousands of whom are set to be fired during the funding lapse.

12 Oct 2025 - 3:10AM

US launches US$20b financial lifeline for Argentina, buys pesos in rare move

US helps prop up Argentina’s faltering finances, and boost political ally President Javier Milei for midterm elections.

10 Oct 2025 - 1:13PM

Argentina’s President Javier Milei during a meeting with US President Donald Trump in New York in September. Photo: Reuters

US imposes sanctions on China refinery over Iran oil purchases

The US believes Iran’s oil networks help Tehran fund its nuclear and missile programmes and support militant proxies in the Middle East.

10 Oct 2025 - 3:20AMvideocam

An Iranian oil facility on Khark Island is seen in March 2017. Photo: TNS

Donald Trump

US considers US$1 Trump coin to mark 250th independence celebrations

A potential design shows Trump raising his fist, with the words ‘fight, fight, fight’ – what he said after surviving an assassination bid.

4 Oct 2025 - 7:56AM

US judge upholds Pentagon listing of DJI as Chinese military-linked firm

The Shenzhen-based company is the global leader in drone production and accounts for more than 50 per cent of US commercial sales.

27 Sep 2025 - 5:46AMvideocam

China and US agree to target money launderers linked to fentanyl trade

Cracking down on finances from the illegal trade is an area of ‘extreme agreement’, Scott Bessent says after Madrid trade talks.

17 Sep 2025 - 8:00PMvideocam

Fentanyl has killed tens of thousands of Americans. Photo: TNS

US-China trade war

China-US trade talks: Who will buckle first amid mutual pain?

More signs of cooling in China’s economy may stiffen US resolve at Madrid trade talks, while stagflation risks in the US could similarly toughen Beijing’s negotiating stance.

15 Sep 2025 - 5:05PM

Trade negotiators in Madrid. (Photo: US Treasury/Handout via Reuters)

US sanctions shipping network for smuggling Iran oil

The organisation is accused of covertly blending Iranian oil with Iraqi oil, then intentionally marketing it as solely of Iraqi origin.

3 Sep 2025 - 2:10AMvideocam