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Venezuela

The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is situated on the northern coast of South America. Home to an estimated population of 29.1 million, it covers around 916,445 square kilometres which includes the Andes mountains and the Amazon Basin Rainforest. Its main export is oil. Venezuela was colonized by Spain in 1522 but continued resistance led in 1811 to it becoming the first Spanish American country to declare independence. A chequered political history followed which saw dictatorships rise and fall, as well as military coups.

Capital

Caracas

Head of State

President Nicolás Maduro

Head of Government

President Nicolás Maduro

US President Donald Trump speaks during a Board of Peace charter announcement at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on January 22. Photo: AP

United States

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.

6 hours agovideocam

SCMP Highlights

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

23 Jan 2026 - 12:30PM

United States

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

23 Jan 2026 - 9:30AMvideocam

US-Venezuela conflict

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

US-China relations

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

US-Venezuela conflict

US says Venezuela’s interim president to visit as relations shift post-Maduro

Delcy Rodriguez says she’s approaching any US talks ‘without fear’ after a senior US official said she would visit Washington soon.

22 Jan 2026 - 1:36PM

United States

Trump lays out Greenland-Arctic deal framework, pauses February tariffs

In his speech to the World Economic Forum in Davos, the US president vowed not to invade Greenland while slamming Nato and Europe.

22 Jan 2026 - 5:18AMvideocam

US President Donald Trump waves to the audience after his speech during the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Wednesday. Photo: AP

World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos

Trump tells Davos US must have Greenland but won’t use force – as it happened

US president boasted close ties with China’s Xi, vowed not to invade Greenland and slammed WEF host Switzerland in overtime speech.

22 Jan 2026 - 5:19AMvideocam

US-China relations

Opinion | Why China’s response to Trump’s chaos will be to wait and watch

Although the US president’s destabilising actions might seem like an opportunity for Beijing, it is likely to opt for strategic patience.

21 Jan 2026 - 9:19PMvideocam

Donald Trump

How Asia’s economies could benefit from Trump’s global power plays

Countries such as Canada are looking to diversify their customers, particularly for oil and gas, with ‘a strong focus on Asia’, analysts say.

21 Jan 2026 - 6:56PM

An illustration shows a 3D-printed miniature model of US President Donald Trump, the EU flag and the word “Tariffs”. Photo: Reuters

Americas and the Caribbean

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

US-China relations

Bessent cites trade progress after meeting China’s He Lifeng in Davos

US Treasury chief says rare earths are flowing and China is buying soybeans as talks move towards an April Trump-Xi meeting.

21 Jan 2026 - 4:13AMvideocam

US-Venezuela conflict

China sends emergency food aid to Cuba as US sanctions worsen shortages

First batch of rice arrives in Cuba under new Chinese programme while the island reels from abrupt halt in Venezuelan oil shipments.

21 Jan 2026 - 6:19PMvideocam

United States

Opinion | Why isn’t Trump learning from past foreign policy mistakes?

From Venezuela and Iran to Greenland and Canada, US interventions and threats risk spillovers and retaliation – as history shows.

20 Jan 2026 - 8:30PM

Donald Trump

Diversify or die: Asian firms face trade uncertainty amid Trump’s Mexico threats

The president’s call for strikes against drug cartels in Mexico and Colombia will add to the cost of trading with the US, analysts say.

20 Jan 2026 - 7:00PMvideocam

Mexico’s Manzanillo seaport, a critical gateway for trade between Asia and the Americas, is seen in May last year after its expansion. Photo: Reuters

China economy

Opinion | China’s focus is on stability as the US rocks the global boat

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20 Jan 2026 - 10:10AMvideocam

Donald Trump

‘World is not secure’: Trump abandons ‘peace’ after Nobel snub, tells Norway PM

Trump says ‘World is not secure’ without US control of Greenland, as US president rejects peace-focused diplomacy in a blunt message to Norwegian PM.

19 Jan 2026 - 8:09PM

United States

Open Questions | Why US raid on Venezuela could ‘work to China’s advantage’: John Mearsheimer

International relations scholar says US could easily take Greenland, while regime change in Tehran would be more difficult.

19 Jan 2026 - 6:57PMvideocam

US-Venezuela conflict

Opinion | Trump’s Venezuela raid a rude awakening for Russia and China

The US abduction of Venezuela’s president showed Russia could do little to protect its ally while China’s economic ties were put at risk.

19 Jan 2026 - 8:44AMvideocam

US-Venezuela conflict

Opinion | Why the US really wants Venezuela’s oil

To win the geopolitical contest, a country needs ample resources, a self-sustaining production system – and the backing of a wider economic bloc.

18 Jan 2026 - 4:30PMvideocam

United States

Before Maduro’s capture in Venezuela, US spoke with hardline interior minister

Some politicians in Washington have questioned why the US did not grab Diosdado Cabello during its operation to seize Maduro.

17 Jan 2026 - 10:39PM

Venezuela’s Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello attends a ceremony last week honouring military and security personnel who died during a US raid to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores in Caracas. Photo: Reuters

US-Venezuela conflict

How US actions in Venezuela and beyond could spell opportunity for China

Beijing is trying to present itself as a more responsible power, but analysts say concrete actions will be needed to win over its neighbours.

17 Jan 2026 - 10:00PMvideocam

US actions are fuelling fears that the Donald Trump administration is dismantling the rules-based global order. Photo: Getty Images via AFP

United States

US’ FAA warns airlines to ‘potential risks’ in Mexican, South American airspace

The warnings come a month after a JetBlue passenger jet almost collided with a US Air Force tanker plane near Venezuela ‌.

17 Jan 2026 - 12:34PMvideocam

Ethnic minorities in Hong Kong

Letters | South Asians have a unique place in Hong Kong

Readers discuss early settlers in Hong Kong, small businesses in Venezuela, and Donald Trump’s ‘morality’.

17 Jan 2026 - 11:30AM

US-Venezuela conflict

Counting China’s ‘swing nation’ wins and losses in new era of power rivalry

As US-China race for hi-tech resources heats up across Global South, countries caught in the middle are under pressure to strike a balance.

17 Jan 2026 - 7:43AMvideocam

US-Venezuela conflict

Machado says Venezuela will be free with support of Trump

The opposition leader earlier presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to Trump in a bid to win over the US president.

17 Jan 2026 - 3:58AMvideocam

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado speaks at the Heritage Foundation in Washington on Friday. Photo: AFP

US-China relations

Tesla’s defeat, Harvard’s success, Beijing’s shock: 7 US-China relations reads

From China’s EV power to Hegseth’s new threat, here are highlights from the SCMP’s overseas correspondents in the first half of January 2026.

16 Jan 2026 - 11:00PM

US-Venezuela conflict

Trump pick for South America command sidesteps China questions at Senate hearing

Lieutenant General Francis Donovan’s answers frustrated even Republicans in favour of a military-first plan to counter Chinese influence.

16 Jan 2026 - 6:00PMvideocam

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Venezuela

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}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.

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

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

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.

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.

US says Venezuela’s interim president to visit as relations shift post-Maduro

Delcy Rodriguez says she’s approaching any US talks ‘without fear’ after a senior US official said she would visit Washington soon.

Trump lays out Greenland-Arctic deal framework, pauses February tariffs

In his speech to the World Economic Forum in Davos, the US president vowed not to invade Greenland while slamming Nato and Europe.

Trump tells Davos US must have Greenland but won’t use force – as it happened

US president boasted close ties with China’s Xi, vowed not to invade Greenland and slammed WEF host Switzerland in overtime speech.

Opinion | Why China’s response to Trump’s chaos will be to wait and watch

Although the US president’s destabilising actions might seem like an opportunity for Beijing, it is likely to opt for strategic patience.

How Asia’s economies could benefit from Trump’s global power plays

Countries such as Canada are looking to diversify their customers, particularly for oil and gas, with ‘a strong focus on Asia’, analysts say.

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.

Bessent cites trade progress after meeting China’s He Lifeng in Davos

US Treasury chief says rare earths are flowing and China is buying soybeans as talks move towards an April Trump-Xi meeting.

China sends emergency food aid to Cuba as US sanctions worsen shortages

First batch of rice arrives in Cuba under new Chinese programme while the island reels from abrupt halt in Venezuelan oil shipments.

Opinion | Why isn’t Trump learning from past foreign policy mistakes?

From Venezuela and Iran to Greenland and Canada, US interventions and threats risk spillovers and retaliation – as history shows.

Diversify or die: Asian firms face trade uncertainty amid Trump’s Mexico threats

The president’s call for strikes against drug cartels in Mexico and Colombia will add to the cost of trading with the US, analysts say.

Opinion | China’s focus is on stability as the US rocks the global boat

While Beijing has achieved its major economic goals for 2025, this year policymakers might be forced to focus on external crises and US foreign policy.

‘World is not secure’: Trump abandons ‘peace’ after Nobel snub, tells Norway PM

Trump says ‘World is not secure’ without US control of Greenland, as US president rejects peace-focused diplomacy in a blunt message to Norwegian PM.

.css-sioo19{color:#c79a00;}Open Questions | Why US raid on Venezuela could ‘work to China’s advantage’: John Mearsheimer

International relations scholar says US could easily take Greenland, while regime change in Tehran would be more difficult.

Opinion | Trump’s Venezuela raid a rude awakening for Russia and China

The US abduction of Venezuela’s president showed Russia could do little to protect its ally while China’s economic ties were put at risk.

Opinion | Why the US really wants Venezuela’s oil

To win the geopolitical contest, a country needs ample resources, a self-sustaining production system – and the backing of a wider economic bloc.

Before Maduro’s capture in Venezuela, US spoke with hardline interior minister

Some politicians in Washington have questioned why the US did not grab Diosdado Cabello during its operation to seize Maduro.

How US actions in Venezuela and beyond could spell opportunity for China

Beijing is trying to present itself as a more responsible power, but analysts say concrete actions will be needed to win over its neighbours.

US’ FAA warns airlines to ‘potential risks’ in Mexican, South American airspace

The warnings come a month after a JetBlue passenger jet almost collided with a US Air Force tanker plane near Venezuela ‌.

Letters | South Asians have a unique place in Hong Kong

Readers discuss early settlers in Hong Kong, small businesses in Venezuela, and Donald Trump’s ‘morality’.

Counting China’s ‘swing nation’ wins and losses in new era of power rivalry

As US-China race for hi-tech resources heats up across Global South, countries caught in the middle are under pressure to strike a balance.

Machado says Venezuela will be free with support of Trump

The opposition leader earlier presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to Trump in a bid to win over the US president.

Tesla’s defeat, Harvard’s success, Beijing’s shock: 7 US-China relations reads

From China’s EV power to Hegseth’s new threat, here are highlights from the SCMP’s overseas correspondents in the first half of January 2026.

Trump pick for South America command sidesteps China questions at Senate hearing

Lieutenant General Francis Donovan’s answers frustrated even Republicans in favour of a military-first plan to counter Chinese influence.

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

Open Questions | Why US raid on Venezuela could ‘work to China’s advantage’: John Mearsheimer