https://www.scmp.com/rss/524495/feed The latest news and updates on Roger Wicker, an American politician, he has served as a U.S. Senator for Mississippi since 2007, following terms in the U.S. House and Mississippi State Senate. Currently, he chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, overseeing national defence and military policy, and leads the Helsinki Commission. A strong advocate for "peace through strength," he champions rebuilding the U.S. military and is a key proponent of the "Golden Dome" missile defence system, seeking... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Igor Patrick Igor Patrick Days after the operation that abducted then Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, President Donald Trump’s nominee to command US forces in Latin America dodged pressure from senators to endorse a military-first plan to counter China’s growing influence in the region. Lieutenant General Francis Donovan, who is nominated to lead US Southern Command (Southcom), repeatedly declined to say whether Washington should rely mainly on force projection to push back against Beijing’s expanding footprint. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3340106/trump-pick-south-america-command-sidesteps-china-questions-senate-hearing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3340106/trump-pick-south-america-command-sidesteps-china-questions-senate-hearing?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Jan 2026 10:00:24 +0000 Lawrence Chung Lawrence Chung Taiwan has begun co-producing 155mm (6.1-inch) artillery shells with the US, as the island moves to strengthen wartime ammunition resilience amid Beijing’s escalating military pressure and concern over supply disruptions in a high-intensity conflict. Taiwan’s defence ministry on Monday said Taipei and Washington had launched early-stage joint production of a new type of 155mm howitzer ammunition. Lieutenant General Lin Wen-hsiang, head of Taiwan’s Armaments Bureau, testified during a legislative... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3339770/taiwan-and-us-launch-joint-production-155mm-artillery-shells-amid-blockade-fears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3339770/taiwan-and-us-launch-joint-production-155mm-artillery-shells-amid-blockade-fears?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Jan 2026 13:00:13 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The US Senate advanced a resolution on Thursday that would limit US President Donald Trump’s ability to conduct further attacks against Venezuela, sounding a note of disapproval for his expanding ambitions in the western hemisphere. Democrats and five Republicans voted to advance the war powers resolution on a 52-47 vote and ensure a vote next week on final passage. It has virtually no chance of becoming law because Trump would have to sign it if it were to pass the Republican-controlled... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3339242/us-senate-rejects-trumps-venezuela-threats-war-powers-vote?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3339242/us-senate-rejects-trumps-venezuela-threats-war-powers-vote?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Jan 2026 18:41:12 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US President Donald Trump’s “blockade” of sanctioned oil tankers off Venezuela’s coast was raising new questions about the legality of his military campaign in Latin America, while fuelling concerns that the US could be edging closer to war. The Trump administration has said its blockade was narrowly tailored and not targeting civilians, which would be an illegal act of war. But some experts say seizing sanctioned oil tied to leader Nicolas Maduro could provoke a military response from... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3337015/trumps-venezuela-blockade-raises-legal-questions-us-masses-forces?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3337015/trumps-venezuela-blockade-raises-legal-questions-us-masses-forces?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Dec 2025 05:35:29 +0000 Raissa Robles Raissa Robles Washington is set to deepen its defence support for the Philippines after approving billions of dollars for a loan and a grant to its Southeast Asian ally next year to counter what an American senator has called “serious threats” from China and its partners. Philippine defence officials have welcomed the approval by the House and Senate in Washington as further evidence of the US commitment to their alliance, even as analysts caution that the bill under the US National Defence Authorisation Act... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3336962/philippines-get-us35-billion-defence-aid-counter-serious-threats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3336962/philippines-get-us35-billion-defence-aid-counter-serious-threats?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Dec 2025 14:11:49 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s characterisation of US-China relations as a “G2” partnership is “deeply problematic”, a Democratic lawmaker has warned in a letter to the Pentagon chief. Such a description sidelines Washington’s allies and partners in the region, House Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi said in his letter sent on Monday. Krishnamoorthi, a ranking member of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, also expressed “profound concern” about such a label being used... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3336018/hegseths-g2-description-us-china-relations-deeply-problematic-lawmaker-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3336018/hegseths-g2-description-us-china-relations-deeply-problematic-lawmaker-says?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Dec 2025 06:25:24 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The Pentagon’s watchdog found that US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth put US personnel and their mission at risk when he used the Signal messaging app to convey sensitive information about a military strike against Yemen’s Houthi militants, two people familiar with the findings said on Wednesday. Hegseth, however, has the ability to declassify material and the report did not find he did so improperly, according to one of the people familiar with the findings who spoke on condition of anonymity to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3335115/hegseths-use-signal-posed-risk-us-personnel-pentagon-watchdog-finds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3335115/hegseths-use-signal-posed-risk-us-personnel-pentagon-watchdog-finds?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Dec 2025 19:21:05 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump confirmed on Sunday he had recently spoken with Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro amid soaring tensions between the two countries, while Caracas condemned what it called US preparations for an attack. The United States has been piling the pressure on Venezuela, with a major military build-up in the Caribbean, the designation of an alleged drug cartel run by Maduro as a terrorist group, and an ominous warning from Trump that Venezuelan airspace was “closed”. Washington... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3334700/lawmakers-voice-support-congressional-reviews-trumps-military-strikes-boats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3334700/lawmakers-voice-support-congressional-reviews-trumps-military-strikes-boats?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 30 Nov 2025 20:40:45 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi The Aukus defence technology-sharing pact between the US, Britain and Australia could be made more “sustainable”, according to the Trump administration’s pick for assistant defence secretary for Indo-Pacific security affairs. At his confirmation hearing on Tuesday, John Noh, currently deputy assistant defence secretary for East Asia, said he also “strongly” believed that Taiwan needed to “do its part and pay” by spending more on defence against a possible attack from Beijing. Noh told members of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3328234/pentagon-nominee-john-noh-hints-aukus-changes-says-taiwan-should-pay-its-way?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3328234/pentagon-nominee-john-noh-hints-aukus-changes-says-taiwan-should-pay-its-way?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Oct 2025 08:59:20 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang China has confirmed that a bipartisan group of lawmakers from the US House of Representatives will visit the country later this month for the first time in over six years. “China welcomes Representative Adam Smith, ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, to lead a delegation to visit China,” Liu Pengyu, spokesman for the Chinese embassy in the US, said late on Tuesday. “We also welcome more Americans from all walks of life, including members of Congress, to visit China and gain a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3325081/us-house-delegation-visit-china-first-time-over-6-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3325081/us-house-delegation-visit-china-first-time-over-6-years?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Sep 2025 12:55:34 +0000 Dewey Sim Dewey Sim The Pentagon’s reported plans to focus on domestic and regional threats over countering China signals an “inevitable” waning of Washington’s global power, according to a retired People’s Liberation Army (PLA) officer. The shift might be bad news for Taiwan, he warned. US news outlet Politico reported on Friday that Pentagon officials had urged the Department of Defence to prioritise protecting the homeland and western hemisphere, marking a shift in its focus on its adversaries including China... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3324659/why-pentagons-homeward-shift-may-signal-us-power-decline-bad-news-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3324659/why-pentagons-homeward-shift-may-signal-us-power-decline-bad-news-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Sep 2025 11:11:30 +0000 Raymond Ma,Neil Denslow Raymond Ma,Neil Denslow Global trade tensions are coming back into focus after a week dominated by the power and spectacle of a huge military parade in Beijing. Chinese manufacturers may face tariffs in Mexico, a key gateway to the US, as part of Plan Mexico, President Claudia Sheinbaum’s initiative to boost domestic industry. The duties, covering all countries without a trade deal, would also ease pressure from US President Donald Trump on Sheinbaum amid the US-China trade war. Trump separately pressed European... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3324429/tariff-threats-xi-hosts-putin-kim-parade-trade-data?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3324429/tariff-threats-xi-hosts-putin-kim-parade-trade-data?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Sep 2025 09:00:07 +0000 Amber Wang Amber Wang Joint US-Taiwan weapons production could threaten regional stability and also face challenges, analysts in mainland China have warned, after a senior American senator played up the prospects for such cooperation. According to Reuters, US Senator Roger Wicker, chairman of the Senate armed services committee and a strong advocate for Taiwan, said on Saturday that he expected “joint production and joint efforts” on weapons production between the two sides as Taipei had pushed for. Wicker’s remarks... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3323816/why-likely-us-taiwan-joint-arms-production-may-ring-alarm-bells-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3323816/why-likely-us-taiwan-joint-arms-production-may-ring-alarm-bells-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 Aug 2025 12:00:09 +0000 Zhao Ziwen Zhao Ziwen Beijing condemned a visit by two US Republican senators to Taiwan on Friday, saying it sent a “seriously wrong signal” to “separatist forces”. The visit by Roger Wicker and Deb Fischer comes at a sensitive time, with the two countries locked in trade talks and discussions about a possible meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. “China has always firmly opposed any form of official exchanges between the United States and Taiwan,” Guo Jiakun, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, said. He... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3323710/beijing-says-us-senators-visit-taiwan-will-embolden-separatist-forces?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3323710/beijing-says-us-senators-visit-taiwan-will-embolden-separatist-forces?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Aug 2025 13:19:47 +0000 Bochen Han Bochen Han The White House’s apparent decision to block Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te’s transit through New York has sparked backlash from Democrats but met with relative silence from Republicans, including those typically outspoken about Taiwan. The muted Republican response marks a notable shift for a party that has in recent years championed high-profile engagement with Taipei – including symbolic moves that Democrats have avoided. It also comes amid high-stakes US-China trade negotiations that... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3321011/republicans-usually-strong-taiwan-supporters-stay-quiet-about-denying-us-stopover-lai?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3321011/republicans-usually-strong-taiwan-supporters-stay-quiet-about-denying-us-stopover-lai?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Aug 2025 21:01:31 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi America’s view of China as a “pacing threat” has shaped its defence priorities as the military seeks to maintain an edge over a rapidly modernising PLA. In the first of a three-part series on how US budget tensions will affect efforts to deter China, we look at the Golden Dome missile defence system. China’s expanding military footprint in the Indo-Pacific is now a focus of America’s defence strategy, with a renewed emphasis on space-based capabilities since Donald Trump returned to the White... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3316381/trumps-golden-dome-will-numbers-add-deter-china-indo-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3316381/trumps-golden-dome-will-numbers-add-deter-china-indo-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Jun 2025 22:00:08 +0000