Venezuela

How will China respond as US expands foreign ship seizures?

The question is whether high-seas US actions will alarm Beijing into deploying naval safeguards or prompt similar moves in Taiwan Strait.

31 Jan 2026 - 8:02AMvideocam

Venezuela approves oil industry overhaul as US eases some sanctions

Venezuela’s reform will enable additional foreign investment in the energy sector, a move expected to benefit the United States in particular.

30 Jan 2026 - 3:29PM

Trump says he’s reopening Venezuelan airspace and Americans can visit soon

Even as the president suggested US citizens would be safe in Venezuela, the State Department kept in place its highest-level travel advisory.

30 Jan 2026 - 5:21AMvideocam

China-Latin America relations

Opinion | Trump’s power politics is paving the way to a G2 world order with China

Trump’s actions signal an openness to G2, give China leverage with US allies and open the door for other powers to use coercive force.

29 Jan 2026 - 8:30PMvideocam

Open Questions | How China’s 15-fold rise in Latin America dents US influence: Francisco Urdinez

A leading scholar says US action in Venezuela shows how Beijing’s economic ties now face rising geopolitical pushback.

29 Jan 2026 - 11:50AMvideocam

China-Latin America relations

US’ Rubio says China profited from Venezuela’s collapse through cut-price oil

US secretary tells senators Beijing received discounted crude via opaque debt deals, saying Maduro’s removal was key to curbing influence.

29 Jan 2026 - 10:31AMvideocam

North Korea

North Korean ex-envoy on Kim Jong-un’s ‘decapitation’ fears after Maduro’s fall

Kim will ‘overhaul the entire system regarding his security and countermeasures in case of an attack against him’, Lee Il-kyu says.

28 Jan 2026 - 1:26PMvideocam

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspects a test firing of a rocket launcher system on Tuesday. Photo: KCNA via KNS/AFP

US-China trade war

Trump sells tariffs as farmers’ win in Iowa, but many aren’t buying it

As US president courts rural voters before midterms, growers fear Beijing may retaliate against Trump policies by curbing purchases again.

28 Jan 2026 - 7:17AMvideocam

Arkansas soybean farmer Randall Shelby says renewed US-China tensions risk pushing already struggling growers deeper into the red. Photo: Randall Shelby

China-Russia relations

China and Russia to bolster defence ties to counter risks

Call marks first ministerial-level exchange between Beijing and Moscow since US raid on Venezuela and Trump’s stronger words on Greenland.

27 Jan 2026 - 10:47PMvideocam

Xi to meet Orsi in first Latin America-China visit since US capture of Maduro

State visit from February 1 to 7 aims to promote commercial ties with Beijing despite tension in region after US operation in Venezuela.

27 Jan 2026 - 6:17AMvideocam

Commodities

Gold surge has analysts eyeing new highs after US$5,100 record

Safe-haven demand spikes amid de-dollarisation fears and supply-chain tensions, as gold buyers seek stability against growing macro uncertainties.

26 Jan 2026 - 3:07PMvideocam

Analysts expect the price of gold to continue climbing this year, building on a safe-haven surge. Photo: AFP

Venezuela frees dozens of political prisoners as leader tells US ‘enough orders’

Rights group says it has verified the identities of 104 of those freed as Venezuela navigates life after Maduro.

26 Jan 2026 - 4:22PM

Foro Penal estimates there are about 800 political prisoners in the South American country. Photo: AFP

China’s navy

What Chinese navy’s first Uruguay port call reveals about Beijing’s ambitions

Western hemisphere port call by Silk Road Ark comes just weeks after US ousted Venezuelan leader.

25 Jan 2026 - 9:00PMvideocam

Opinion | US disregard of international law must not be tolerated

Principles such as sovereign equality and the peaceful resolution of disputes are the bedrock of international relations – and must be protected.

25 Jan 2026 - 5:30AMvideocam

Trump says US used secret ‘discombobulator’ weapon in Maduro raid

He said the device made enemy equipment ‘not work’, and the Venezuelan forces were unable to use their ‘Russian and Chinese rockets’.

25 Jan 2026 - 5:03AMvideocam

US President Donald Trump gestures after a signing ceremony for his Board of Peace initiative in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday. Photo: AP

What about Taiwan? Why US foreign policy is now all about the western hemisphere

The State Department skips direct references to the island as it outlines it foreign policy direction for the next five years.

24 Jan 2026 - 10:00PMvideocam

Macroscope | Distracted at Davos, leaders are ignoring one critical issue

More attention needs to be paid to the state of US and global finances.

24 Jan 2026 - 4:30PMvideocam

Asean

Asian Angle | What a US-China ‘grand bargain’ would mean for Southeast Asia

Washington’s Venezuela raid has resurrected old fears about ‘spheres of influence’, sounding alarm bells for Southeast Asian autonomy.

24 Jan 2026 - 10:00AM

US President Donald Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping after their talks at the Gimhae Air Base in Busan on October 30, 2025. Photo: TNS

US kills 2 in first known strike on alleged drug boat since Maduro’s capture

The attack left one survivor, and the coastguard has been notified to launch search and rescue operations.

24 Jan 2026 - 7:55AM

Footage posted by US Southern Command on Friday shows a boat moving through the water before exploding in flames. Image: X/Southcom

Outside In | Why Trump’s Davos farce may come to be seen as a watershed

Whatever his motivations, he’s alarmed allies and made clear the old order based on a benign US is gone, even as his popularity slips at home.

23 Jan 2026 - 4:30PMvideocam

SCMP Highlights

China’s births plunge, Trump’s Greenland pledge in Davos: 7 highlights

From China’s record-low birth count to what Trump said about Greenland at Davos, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting.

23 Jan 2026 - 12:30PM

Opinion | From Venezuela to Greenland, Trump is using US power to rewrite the rules

What troubles many is the inconsistency emanating from Washington. When power underwrites rules, principles become negotiable.

23 Jan 2026 - 9:30AMvideocam

US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport, in West Palm Beach, Florida, on January 19. Photo: AP

US letting China buy Venezuela oil but not at ‘unfair’ Maduro prices: official

The US says it will control the Latin American nation’s oil sales indefinitely after seizing its leader.

23 Jan 2026 - 6:54AM

A statue of a hand holding an oil well tower stands near the headquarters of Venezuela’s state-run oil company PDVSA in Caracas, Venezuela, on January 13. Photo: Reuters

Opinion | China has Trump 2.0 to thank for emerging stronger in tech and trade

As intense US-China competition becomes the new normal, pressure has strengthened China’s capacity to adapt rather than deter it from its long-term ambitions.

22 Jan 2026 - 8:30PMvideocam