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US Department of State

US Department of State: A prominent Washington, D.C.-based governmental body, the US Department of State is the lead executive department responsible for the nation’s foreign policy and international relations. Established in 1789, it is the oldest federal department. Its primary mission involves advising the President on global affairs, administering diplomatic missions worldwide, negotiating treaties, and protecting U.S. citizens abroad. The Department focuses on promoting peace, stability, democracy, and U.S. interests through diplomacy, international cooperation, and addressing global challenges like terrorism.

Iranian mourners gather during the final stage of funeral processions for slain top general Qasem Soleimani in his hometown Kerman in January 2020. Photo: AFP

US, Israel war on Iran

US arrests niece and grandniece of slain Iran general Qassem Soleimani

Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter, who were allegedly living a ‘lavish lifestyle’ in Los Angeles, have had their green cards revoked.

5 Apr 2026 - 4:14AMvideocam

US-Venezuela conflict

US reopens embassy in Venezuela months after military operation to remove Maduro

31 Mar 2026 - 3:45AM

US-China relations

US unlikely to get China to join new nuclear arms control agreement, experts say

25 Mar 2026 - 7:25AMvideocam

US-China relations

US faces critical shortage of China expertise within a decade, report warns

Ageing cadre and a weak pipeline risk eroding US-China policy, business insight and national security preparedness as prowess dwindles.

26 Mar 2026 - 9:15AMvideocam

High school students from the US attend classes in Shijiazhuang, north China’s Hebei province, Photo: Xinhua

War and conflict

As I see it | Why the world may now need an Iranian nuclear bomb

To restore peace and stability in the Middle East, Israel and the US – the real destabilisers of the region – need to be countered.

20 Mar 2026 - 8:30PMvideocam

Sri Lanka

What happens to the Iranian sailors stranded in Sri Lanka?

The sinking of an Iranian frigate and a leaked US cable have dragged the debt-burdened South Asian nation into a Middle Eastern conflict.

11 Mar 2026 - 12:33PM

US, Israel war on Iran

‘Disappointing’: Americans recall desperate, self-funded escapes from Mideast

‘Everyone’s been sending each other resources because, quite frankly, the US has not done a single thing in any capacity,’ a traveller says.

7 Mar 2026 - 11:35AMvideocam

An empty terminal at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. Photo: AFP

United States

US won’t let India become rival like China, Trump official says

Washington will not ‘make the same mistakes’ as it did with Beijing 20 years ago, the State Department’s Christopher Landau says.

6 Mar 2026 - 2:18AM

United States

As I see it | Under Trump, the US has unleashed its own wolf warriors

Chinese diplomats need to project a measured and calming presence on the international stage to contend effectively with American blowhards.

4 Mar 2026 - 5:30AM

US-China trade war

Trump’s tariff wars reshaped US-China trade – at what cost to American firms?

US exporters lost tens of billions of US dollars in sales to China in 2025, economist says.

3 Mar 2026 - 6:00PM

US goods exports to China fell significantly in 2025, a victim of the trade war launched in April by US President Donald Trump. Photo: Reuters

Hong Kong society

What Hong Kong travellers stuck in the Middle East need to do as war spirals

At least 432 residents are stranded in region as dozens of flights between city and Middle East are disrupted by conflict.

3 Mar 2026 - 6:22PM

A plume of smoke from an Iranian strike rises behind planes parked at Dubai International Airport on Sunday, March 1. Photo: AP

Middle East

US presses Syria to shift from Chinese telecoms systems

Washington warned Damascus, which is considering buying Chinese telecoms technology, to buy from US or allied states.

27 Feb 2026 - 6:42AM

US-China relations

China, Russia should join US in new nuclear arms control deal: Rubio

Secretary of State says US and China now have ‘strategic stability’ in their long-fractious relationship as crucial Trump-Xi summit nears.

27 Feb 2026 - 8:00AMvideocam

Drugs

Mexico kills cartel leader wanted by US, sparking violent reaction

Mexican army killed ‘El Mencho’, the leader of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel during an operation to capture him.

23 Feb 2026 - 11:14PM

Police secure an area where vehicles were set on fire in Zapopan, Mexico. Photo: Reuters

France

France to summon US ambassador over comments on activist killing

France’s foreign minister reacts to a US statement about the death of Quentin Deranque, rejecting ‘instrumentalisation of this tragedy’.

23 Feb 2026 - 12:09PM

Protesters hold a portrait of far-right activist Quentin Deranque, who died after being attacked on the sidelines of a far-right protest in Lyon. Photo: AFP

US-China trade war

Washington offers US$200 million to boost US smartphone industry in Indo-Pacific

State Department subsidies for US companies to shore up US artificial intelligence supply chain in region and counter China’s dominance.

20 Feb 2026 - 7:24AMvideocam

United States

My Take | Why Western civilisation is incapable of saving Western society today

People who argue for the uniqueness and high moral standing of the West are actually weaponising it as an ideology against the non-Western cultures of the Global South.

19 Feb 2026 - 9:00PM

United States

Trump tells Starmer ‘do not give away Diego Garcia’ in new attack on Chagos deal

President says the UK should not lose control of Indian Ocean island by entering ‘tenuous’ lease, amid concerns about China’s growing ties there.

19 Feb 2026 - 2:53PMvideocam

Diego Garcia has long been a strategic asset for US missions. Photo: AFP

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.

12 Feb 2026 - 7:38AMvideocam

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.

10 Feb 2026 - 12:21PM

US-China relations

US steps up Apec role after Xi–Trump call as ties with China show signs of thaw

Washington says its delegation to Guangzhou will press ‘America first’ trade goals while coordinating with Beijing after leaders’ talk.

7 Feb 2026 - 7:13AMvideocam

China’s leader Xi Jinping spoke with US President Donald Trump by phone for two hours on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

Americas and the Caribbean

US pledges food aid for Cuba while putting squeeze on fuel supply

Havana signals a cautious readiness for talks as the island’s leader accuses the US of imposing an ‘energy blockade’.

6 Feb 2026 - 3:35PM

People sit on the seawall in Regla, Cuba, across the bay from Havana. Photo: AP

Middle East

US approves US$16 billion arms sale to Israel, Saudi Arabia

The State Department says that none of the new sales will affect the military balance in the Middle East.

31 Jan 2026 - 10:25AMvideocam

United States

US may have averted major shutdown by splitting bill, but partial closure is on

House approval still needed, with a funding lapse expected before lawmakers move to pass the spending package early next week.

31 Jan 2026 - 3:21PMvideocam

Canada

Canada’s Eby slams separatists seeking US help: the word for that is ‘treason’

The British Columbia premier was responding to a report that Trump officials had meetings with an Alberta pro-independence group.

30 Jan 2026 - 5:58AMvideocam

A Canadian flag waves in a plaza near the GM plant in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, in March 2025. Photo: Reuters

US-Venezuela conflict

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

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio appears before the US Senate Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday. Photo: EPA

Italy

‘Not welcome’: Milan mayor slams ICE agents’ Olympic security role after killings

Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala, whose city will host events at the Milano Cortina Games, slams ICE’s deployment and urges Italy to reject the US detail.

27 Jan 2026 - 7:40PM

US-China relations

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

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US Department of State

US arrests niece and grandniece of slain Iran general Qassem Soleimani

Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter, who were allegedly living a ‘lavish lifestyle’ in Los Angeles, have had their green cards revoked.

US reopens embassy in Venezuela months after military operation to remove Maduro

US unlikely to get China to join new nuclear arms control agreement, experts say

US faces critical shortage of China expertise within a decade, report warns

Ageing cadre and a weak pipeline risk eroding US-China policy, business insight and national security preparedness as prowess dwindles.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}As I see it | Why the world may now need an Iranian nuclear bomb

To restore peace and stability in the Middle East, Israel and the US – the real destabilisers of the region – need to be countered.

What happens to the Iranian sailors stranded in Sri Lanka?

The sinking of an Iranian frigate and a leaked US cable have dragged the debt-burdened South Asian nation into a Middle Eastern conflict.

‘Disappointing’: Americans recall desperate, self-funded escapes from Mideast

‘Everyone’s been sending each other resources because, quite frankly, the US has not done a single thing in any capacity,’ a traveller says.

US won’t let India become rival like China, Trump official says

Washington will not ‘make the same mistakes’ as it did with Beijing 20 years ago, the State Department’s Christopher Landau says.

As I see it | Under Trump, the US has unleashed its own wolf warriors

Chinese diplomats need to project a measured and calming presence on the international stage to contend effectively with American blowhards.

Trump’s tariff wars reshaped US-China trade – at what cost to American firms?

US exporters lost tens of billions of US dollars in sales to China in 2025, economist says.

What Hong Kong travellers stuck in the Middle East need to do as war spirals

At least 432 residents are stranded in region as dozens of flights between city and Middle East are disrupted by conflict.

US presses Syria to shift from Chinese telecoms systems

Washington warned Damascus, which is considering buying Chinese telecoms technology, to buy from US or allied states.

China, Russia should join US in new nuclear arms control deal: Rubio

Secretary of State says US and China now have ‘strategic stability’ in their long-fractious relationship as crucial Trump-Xi summit nears.

Mexico kills cartel leader wanted by US, sparking violent reaction

Mexican army killed ‘El Mencho’, the leader of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel during an operation to capture him.

France to summon US ambassador over comments on activist killing

France’s foreign minister reacts to a US statement about the death of Quentin Deranque, rejecting ‘instrumentalisation of this tragedy’.

Washington offers US$200 million to boost US smartphone industry in Indo-Pacific

State Department subsidies for US companies to shore up US artificial intelligence supply chain in region and counter China’s dominance.

My Take | Why Western civilisation is incapable of saving Western society today

People who argue for the uniqueness and high moral standing of the West are actually weaponising it as an ideology against the non-Western cultures of the Global South.

Trump tells Starmer ‘do not give away Diego Garcia’ in new attack on Chagos deal

President says the UK should not lose control of Indian Ocean island by entering ‘tenuous’ lease, amid concerns about China’s growing ties there.

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.

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 steps up Apec role after Xi–Trump call as ties with China show signs of thaw

Washington says its delegation to Guangzhou will press ‘America first’ trade goals while coordinating with Beijing after leaders’ talk.

US pledges food aid for Cuba while putting squeeze on fuel supply

Havana signals a cautious readiness for talks as the island’s leader accuses the US of imposing an ‘energy blockade’.

US approves US$16 billion arms sale to Israel, Saudi Arabia

The State Department says that none of the new sales will affect the military balance in the Middle East.

US may have averted major shutdown by splitting bill, but partial closure is on

House approval still needed, with a funding lapse expected before lawmakers move to pass the spending package early next week.

Canada’s Eby slams separatists seeking US help: the word for that is ‘treason’

The British Columbia premier was responding to a report that Trump officials had meetings with an Alberta pro-independence group.

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.

‘Not welcome’: Milan mayor slams ICE agents’ Olympic security role after killings

Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala, whose city will host events at the Milano Cortina Games, slams ICE’s deployment and urges Italy to reject the US detail.

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.

As I see it | Why the world may now need an Iranian nuclear bomb