United States Department of the Treasury

Trump praises China for being ‘relatively inactive’ in Strait of Hormuz crisis

1 Sep 2026 - 6:35AMvideocam

2026 Xi-Trump summits

US targets China’s global trade surplus at G20 meeting ahead of Xi-Trump summit

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent raises concerns over China’s ‘excessive imbalances’ just weeks before crucial bilateral meeting.

1 Sep 2026 - 3:31AMvideocam

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent attends the G20 Finance Ministers’ meeting in Asheville, North Carolina, on Monday. Photo: Reuters

Iranian leaders admit economic toll of war with US as trade drops 35%

With the war now at the six-month mark, the Trump administration has stepped up efforts to punish Iran financially with an ‘economic D-Day’.

29 Aug 2026 - 11:23AMvideocam

US Treasury sanctions Hong Kong-based firm over Iran money laundering ties

Kameng Trading Ltd allegedly acted as front company to help Iran’s Pedram Pirouzan Exchange House access international financial system.

1 Sep 2026 - 3:51AMvideocam

China-Latin America relations

Macroscope | US markets are paying the price for Trump’s reckless policies

From surging debt to trade wars with Canada, self-harm has been the main consequence of Trump’s reckless policy decisions.

27 Aug 2026 - 9:56PMvideocam

A utilities box covered in Canadian flags sits in front of a steel plant in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, on August 20. Although Canada’s economy will bear the brunt of a full-blown trade war, the US will suffer, too. Photo: The Canadian Press via AP

2026 Xi-Trump summits

China vows payback for US Iran sanctions, testing stability ahead of summit

Beijing warns economic pressure will fail; semi-official Track 1.5 dialogue targets risk control before Chinese president visits US.

26 Aug 2026 - 10:00PMvideocam

US Federal Reserve

US Treasury bond buy-back reinforces gold debasement trade ahead of Jackson Hole

Treasury buy-backs bolster gold’s rally as investors await US Federal Reserve’s annual meeting at Jackson Hole.

25 Aug 2026 - 10:26AM

US targets China’s telecoms grip in Venezuela with new sanctions carve-out

Move could test Huawei and ZTE’s long-standing foothold as Washington extends its China reach from oil to another strategic sector.

25 Aug 2026 - 6:17AMvideocam

Chinese telecommunication companies like Huawei could be marginalised after the US authorised new investment in Venezuela’s telecom sector. Photo: Shutterstoock

China vows to safeguard interests after ‘Economic D-Day’ sanctions over Iran ties

Washington warns Iran-linked entities face removal from US dollar system as Trump presses world leaders to cut financial ties.

28 Aug 2026 - 5:52AMvideocam

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Oil tankers pass through the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial route for China’s energy supplies. Photo: Reuters

Iran condemns US plans to announce new sanctions

Warning that nations joining the US ‘economic war’ would be deemed enemies, Iran said the move could affect trading partners including China.

23 Aug 2026 - 6:10AM

Africa

20 sailors kidnapped by Somali pirates near Yemen on US-sanctioned ship

The hijacking comes amid a resurgence of piracy that has seen six commercial vessels seized since April across the Gulf of Aden and western Indian Ocean.

22 Aug 2026 - 8:17PM

China-Latin America relations

As I see it | The US is telling its trading partners – do as I say, not as I do

While Washington says it is monitoring certain countries, including Japan, for foreign exchange interventions, it also coordinated with Tokyo to prop up the yen.

22 Aug 2026 - 5:30AM

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks to reporters as he walks to the West Wing following an interview at the White House in Washington on August 20. Photo: EPA

Peru vows to apply Hong Kong trade deal, but is silent on mainland China

Prime Minister Luis Galarreta says country aims to become trade and investment bridge between South America and Asia-Pacific.

21 Aug 2026 - 5:20AMvideocam

Peru’s new government did not mention the Chinese-built Chancay megaport, operated by Cosco Shipping, in its first comprehensive policy programme. Photo: Handout

US pushes China to back its ‘most crushing economic operation’ against Iran

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent tells Beijing to ‘get with the programme’ and support Washington’s campaign to isolate Iran economically.

21 Aug 2026 - 8:50AMvideocam

Mainland China

US Treasury Department steps in amid bond rout: will it work?

Analysts said the impact on global asset allocations would depend on whether the move could bring long-end Treasury yields sustainably lower.

20 Aug 2026 - 7:00PM

Banking & finance

China and US bond markets head in opposite directions

The US Treasury tried to cool rising borrowing costs in the dollar debt market with a surprise intervention, while yields in China are near the lowest in a year.

20 Aug 2026 - 5:22PM

Bond yields displayed on a pedestrian walkway in Shanghai. Photo: AFP

US debt hits US$40 trillion high, raising ‘doom loop’ risk

Total public debt has surged by a third in under five years, and there’s no end in sight.

20 Aug 2026 - 5:21AM

US Democrats rebuke Trump for easing sanctions on Beijing, Hong Kong officials

Lawmakers said sanctions should remain as mainland Chinese, Hong Kong officials were ‘complicit in Beijing’s dismantling of Hong Kong’s autonomy’.

19 Aug 2026 - 9:14AMvideocam

US sanctions International Criminal Court chief Tomoko Akane

Senior ICC lawyer Abdoulaye Seye, who was on the prosecution team that sought an arrest warrant for Israeli PM Netanyahu, was also targeted.

19 Aug 2026 - 3:13PM

Japanese Judge Tomoko Akane, President of the International Criminal Court, delivers a speech at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo in June 2024. Photo: AFP

How US could squeeze Iran with economic isolation – and the risks involved

The Treasury Department is exploring targeting Chinese banks, shadow fleets and exchange houses, but secondary sanctions risk economic blowback.

16 Aug 2026 - 2:52PMvideocam

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks to members of the media at the White House in July. Photo: Reuters

US shifts Iran war goal, says cheaper oil for Americans is top priority

In a bid to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Treasury Secretary Bessent threatened to subject Tehran to unprecedented economic sanctions.

14 Aug 2026 - 12:15PMvideocam

Crime

Alleged Irish crime boss charged in Dublin after extradition from Dubai

Daniel Kinahan remanded in custody over charges of directing an international crime group following handover by UAE authorities.

10 Aug 2026 - 8:49AM

Banking & finance

Macroscope | US efforts to prop up the yen risk doing more harm than good

Reversing the yen’s long-term decline ultimately rests on Japan’s ability to take its real interest rates out of negative territory – without triggering market panic.

6 Aug 2026 - 4:30PM

A person walks past an electronic board showing Japan’s Nikkei index chart in Tokyo on August 6. At a time when the US is the main source of volatility in global markets, Washington’s participation in the Japanese currency intervention adds another layer of uncertainty. Photo: AP

Southeast Asia forced-labour scams

US sanctions Mahan Air’s China network over alleged support for Iran’s IRGC

Two Shanghai companies and a Chinese executive targeted as Washington expands pressure campaign from Iranian oil to aviation and cargo.

7 Aug 2026 - 5:36AMvideocam

Mahan Air has been under US sanctions since 2011 over its alleged support for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Photo: Reuters

China charges alleged scam kingpin Chen Zhi with intentional injury: report

Extradited from Cambodia six months ago, Chen faces fresh count that could lead to the death penalty.

27 Jul 2026 - 7:00PMvideocam