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United States government

United States government
The latest news and top stories on the United States government. A Washington DC-based federal governmental body, the United States government is dedicated to serving its citizens by establishing justice, ensuring domestic tranquility and promoting general welfare. Its main areas of focus include domestic and foreign policy, national security and economic stability.
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer has confirmed that the Trump administration will keep tariffs on China at their current level. Photo: Reuters
US-China trade war

US to keep China tariffs steady ahead of key Trump-Xi meeting: Greer

Trade envoy confirms levies on Chinese goods to remain within range of 35 per cent to 50 per cent depending on the product as tensions ease.

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Americas and the Caribbean

Cuba coastguard kills 4 in firefight with US-registered speedboat

China trade

Trump’s USMCA exit threat seen pushing Canada into China’s arms

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Donald Trump

Video | Trump’s first State of the Union speech since return to White House

In a speech that runs nearly two hours, Trump casts himself as a global peacemaker and praises his economic credentials.

In a speech that runs nearly two hours, Trump casts himself as a global peacemaker and praises his economic credentials.
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China-EU relations

EU too slow to act as China rewrites global trade rules, trade chief Sefcovic warns

Commissioner calls for faster trade probes and WTO reform as Brussels confronts overcapacity, subsidies and a US$424 billion deficit.

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Japan

No takebacks: Japan wants US to stick to trade deal amid tariff turmoil

Japan could see extra tax burdens on some goods if Trump’s new 10 per cent tariffs were to be applied unilaterally, the trade minister said.

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Middle East

Trump pushes back on reports of Iran war risks as clock ticks

US president dismisses reported concerns of Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine, insisting any conflict would be ‘easily won’.

F/A-18F Super Hornets prepare to launch from the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea. Photo: US Navy via AFP
US-China relations

China has ‘massively expanded’ its nuclear arsenal, claims US State Department

Beijing’s UN ambassador Shen Jian said China opposes the smearing of its nuclear policy and ‘would not engage in any nuclear arms race’.

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Ukraine war

Zelensky says he believes Putin has started World War III

Ukrainian leader says his country was preventing it from becoming a ‘broad full-scale third world war’.

Middle East

Trump weighs limited strike on Iran, as Tehran says draft deal coming soon

The US president has warned that ‘bad things’ will happen if an agreement to curb Iran’s nuclear programme is not reached soon.

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The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier is seen from Gibraltar on Friday. Photo: Instagram/dparody via Reuters
The Philippines

US missile deployments in Philippines signal deeper strategic shift in region

Analysts said the move bolsters the First Island Chain strategy and deepens Manila’s role in regional defence planning.

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A US M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, fires during the Balikatan joint military exercises at a naval station in Zambales province, northern Philippines, on April 26, 2023. Photo: AP
Middle East

Satellite photos show Iran has been repairing and fortifying key sites

New satellite imagery offers a glimpse of Iranian activities as the White House warns it ‘would be very wise to make a deal’.

US-China relations

US offers more details on claim China conducted secret nuclear weapons test

State Department official says China’s alleged 2020 test was ‘a singular explosion’, confirms US will return to nuclear testing.

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US-China relations

Sudden Xi-Trump call, secret nuclear testing claims: 7 US-China relations reads

From China’s grip on minerals to the US’ Apec plans, here are highlights from our overseas correspondents in the first half of February 2026.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio holds a press conference during the Critical Minerals Ministerial at the State Department in Washington DC on February 4, 2026. Photo: Reuters
US-Venezuela conflict

US forces board another tanker in Indian Ocean after tracking it from Caribbean

The Veronica III, which sails under the Panamanian flag, is subject to US sanctions related to Iran, the US says.

US forces aboard the Veronica III on Sunday. Photo: US Department of Defence via Reuters
Middle East

US-Iran talks to be held in Geneva next week, hosted by Oman

The son of Iran’s last shah called for US action, as Trump sends a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East.

United States

Partial US government shutdown throws Congress into turmoil again

Second shutdown in four months after funding halted for Department of Homeland Security, as Republicans and Democrats fail to reach a deal.

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United States

3 dead in latest US strike on suspected drug vessel in Caribbean

The attack raises the death toll from the Trump administration’s strikes on ‘narcoterrorists’ in the Caribbean and Pacific to 133.

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An explosion occurs on a vessel during what the US military says was a strike on a suspected drug trafficking vessel in the Caribbean in this screen grab from a video released on Friday. Photo: US Southern Command/Reuters
US-China relations

Opinion | How Washington’s lawyers stack up against Beijing’s technocrats

While no system is perfect, balancing out the occupational composition of policymakers could hold the key to success for both countries.

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China-Latin America relations

China vows to ‘do what it can’ as US blockade leaves Cuba with just weeks of oil

Beijing pledges continued support for Cuba and champions Havana’s sovereignty as the island grapples with worsening fuel shortages.

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US-China relations

China accuses US of seeking to revive its nuclear test programme

Beijing says Washington is distorting China’s policy and trying to avoid its own disarmament responsibilities.

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The US has 5,177 nuclear warheads, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Photo: Handout
United States

Trump admin removes rainbow flag from birthplace of US gay rights movement

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani called it an ‘act of erasure’, while others described the move as an attack on the queer community.

A rainbow flag blows in the wind inside Christopher Park near the Stonewall Inn in New York in June 2019. Photo: Reuters
US-China relations

Trump’s ‘vacillating’ China policy causing confidence crisis in allies: report

‘Sweeping destruction – rather than careful reforms and policy corrections – is the order of the day’, Munich Security Report 2026 says.

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Americas and the Caribbean

Cuba warns airlines it’s almost out of fuel as US blockade tightens chokehold

Air Canada suspends Cuba flights as Havana warns it can no longer guarantee refuelling for international carriers.

Americas and the Caribbean

‘Tracked and hunted’: US forces board tanker in Indian Ocean

US military intercepts the US-sanctioned Aquila II after a transoceanic chase from the Caribbean.

The Aquila II tanker, which was boarded by US forces after it was ‘tracked and hunted’ from the Caribbean. Photo: Pentagon via X
Diplomacy

Trump official says US to fund ‘free speech’ initiatives in Europe

State Department eyes funding efforts it sees as being aligned to the Trump administration’s views.

US and European Union flags at the EU headquarters in Brussels. Photo: AFP
Donald Trump

Trump seeks to limit legal options for fired US government workers

Under a new proposal, workers would dispute their firings to a Trump-led agency, not an independent board.

SCMP Highlights

China accused of secret nuclear tests, Eileen Gu’s wake up call: 5 weekend reads

From China’s companies keeping Ukraine’s lights on to pushing endurance limits, here are five stories you may have missed over the weekend.

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