US

Economy, Trade & Business

Society & Culture

Science & Technology

US President Donald addresses the nation from the diplomatic reception room at the White House on Wednesday. Photo: AP

Politics

Trump gives himself high marks in 2025 report card, with his eyes on 2026 fight

In a White House speech, the president claimed economic and foreign policy wins while urging voters to back his agenda in the midterms.

6 hours agovideocam

‘A risk’: wealthy Chinese appear to shun Trump’s ‘gold card’ immigration scheme

18 Dec 2025 - 1:24AMvideocam

Explainer | What does future hold for Brazil, US in China’s soybean balancing act?

18 Dec 2025 - 1:12AMvideocam

Global Economy

China bets big on copper processing, but ‘weaponisation’ risks are low: analysts

Beijing views copper as critical for EVs and AI, but a reliance on imported ore limits China’s ability to use the strategic metal as leverage.

17 Dec 2025 - 6:00PMvideocam

A coil of copper rod sits on the production line for copper flat wire at a factory in China’s Jiangxi province in August. Photo: Reuters

Military

Senior US and Chinese defence officials continue ‘military-to-military’ dialogue

Talks follow Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s meeting with China’s Minister of National Defence, Admiral Dong Jun, to help stabilise ties.

18 Dec 2025 - 1:00AM

China Economy

Surviving the shocks: what China and the US learned from 2025’s trade war

Businesses and officials faced a year of disruption – and in some cases, resilience – as tariffs and export controls roiled global markets.

17 Dec 2025 - 8:07AMvideocam

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China

Trump appeals to Xi over Jimmy Lai as Britain summons China’s ambassador

US president says he asked Chinese leader to consider freeing Lai, describing the jailed media executive as ‘an older man’ who is ‘not well’.

16 Dec 2025 - 8:17AMvideocam

Police officers keep watch as a van transporting media tycoon Jimmy Lai leaves the West Kowloon court on Monday in Hong Kong. Photo: AFP

United States & Canada

BBC vows to fight Trump’s US$10 billion defamation suit

The UK broadcaster has apologised but will fight the US president’s defamation claim over a misleading edit of his January 6 speech.

16 Dec 2025 - 8:41PM

US

US denies Indo-Pacific retreat, says aid is being recalibrated to counter China

Washington argues that targeted assistance and partnerships will deepen regional ties and deliver longer-term economic and security gains.

16 Dec 2025 - 6:24AM

United States & Canada

Son of Hollywood director Reiner jailed on suspicion of murdering parents

Nick Reiner, 32, who has struggled with substance abuse, is being held in jail with no bail as a decision on formal charges looms.

16 Dec 2025 - 1:36PM

Nick Reiner at the premiere of ‘Spinal Tap II: The End Continues’ on September 9. Photo: Invision via AP

Politics

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

Diplomacy

Mexico stands by its decision for 50 per cent tariffs on Chinese goods

Government defends tariff package as vital to supporting domestic workers and producers, and not aimed at curbing imports from China.

16 Dec 2025 - 2:27AMvideocam

United States & Canada

Trump mocks slain director Reiner, drawing condemnations

US president condemned for inflammatory post about filmmaker’s death, but doubles down by calling Reiner a ‘deranged person’.

16 Dec 2025 - 2:44PM

United States & Canada

FBI foils New Year’s Eve bomb plot in LA, US attorney general says

Four suspects, members of the Turtle Island Liberation Front, allegedly planned bombings starting at midnight on New Year’s Eve.

16 Dec 2025 - 1:45PM

Photos of the suspects are shown on a screen during a press conference in Los Angeles. Photo: AP

Tech Trends

Sea change: China narrows AI gap with US 3 years after ChatGPT shock

The turning point came when DeepSeek released its V3 and R1 models, which were on par with OpenAI’s GPT and Meta’s Llama models at the time.

14 Dec 2025 - 12:57AM

Illustration by Lau Ka-kuen

Global Economy

China-free supply chain? US firm has a rare earth strategy – but can it work?

Backed by Washington, REalloys seeks to break dependence on China but says achieving fully self-sufficient supply chain will take time.

12 Dec 2025 - 10:30PMvideocam

Global Economy

China’s food-security push to slash soy imports by two-thirds: Goldman Sachs

Beijing is lowering feed content and making related advancements that analysts say could reduce China’s foreign-soybean dependence dramatically within a decade.

12 Dec 2025 - 11:00AM

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US Elections

For lame duck Biden, an anticlimactic exit from the world stage

Outgoing US president, who will give way to Donald Trump in two months, has little to no clout at upcoming global summits.

15 Nov 2024 - 12:29AMvideocam

US President Joe Biden will leave office on January 20. Photo: AP

Politics

Exclusive | In China, fear of regime change has shaped US policy. Here’s why

For Beijing, regime security is everything and concerns about ‘hostile Western forces’ will continue, no matter who ends up in the White House.

6 Nov 2024 - 6:42AMvideocam

World

Rise of Asian-American voters in US elections — a visual explainer

Asian-Americans have emerged as a significant voter demographic in the United States. Recent polling sheds light on which candidate they may prefer in 2024.

3 Oct 2024 - 7:00PM

China

‘Feeling attacked’ by Texas law threat, Chinese-Americans turn to activism

Legislation to bar Chinese citizens from buying property in the state ultimately failed, but many became politically engaged because of it.

18 Oct 2024 - 5:36AM

Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

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