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US-Venezuela conflict

US-Venezuela conflict

The United States attacked Venezuela on January 3, 2026, abducted its leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife and placed them in detention in New York, in what was the most direct US military action in Latin America in nearly four decades.

A US Air Force F22-Raptor takes off from the former Roosevelt Roads Naval Station in Puerto Rico on January 4. Photo: AFP

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 ‌.

4 hours agovideocam

China-Latin America relations

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

17 Jan 2026 - 7:43AMvideocam

Machado says Venezuela will be free with support of Trump

17 Jan 2026 - 3:58AMvideocam

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

Practitioners perform martial art next to a BYD Sealion 7 electric vehicle at Singapore Motorshow on January 9. Photo: AFP

China-Latin America relations

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

Open Questions series

Open Questions | China wins if Venezuela ensnares Trump, Mearsheimer says

Maduro’s ‘kidnap’ and naked grab for Venezuela’s oil may leave US bogged down and less able to keep eye on China, political scientist John Mearsheimer says.

16 Jan 2026 - 10:00AMvideocam

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Venezuela’s Machado says she ‘presented’ her Nobel Peace Prize to Trump

US president praises Machado for her ‘wonderful’ gesture as he warms to Venezuela’s new leaders.

16 Jan 2026 - 3:48PM

Maria Corina Machado gave her Nobel Peace Prize medal to US President Donald Trump during their White House meeting. Photo: The White House via Reuters

China-linked hackers ‘used Venezuela-themed phishing to target US agencies’

Swiss firm says Mustang Panda leveraged US-Venezuela tensions as geopolitical lures in a malware campaign against government-related targets.

16 Jan 2026 - 5:26AMvideocam

Washington completes first sale of Venezuelan oil ‘in US$500 million deal’

The White House official, who did not identify the buyer, said additional sales could take place in the coming days or weeks.

16 Jan 2026 - 3:20AM

Opinion | An internally split Europe can never fully engage China and Asia

The Brussels effect is real but so is Europe’s strategic subordination to the US. For China, and Asia, this means proceeding with pragmatism.

15 Jan 2026 - 8:30PMvideocam

Illustration: Craig Stephens

Macroscope | Investors are giving Trump a free pass

Markets, especially bond markets, are meant to be a disciplining force. Their inaction will only embolden Trump to act more recklessly.

15 Jan 2026 - 5:10PMvideocam

A video of US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell plays on a screen on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on January 12. Powell has rejected the Trump administration’s claims of wrongdoing against him, calling them a pretext for punishing him for not cutting interest rates as fast as US President Donald Trump desired. Photo: AP

Trump prevails in US Senate showdown over Venezuela war powers

A 51–50 vote kills war powers resolution after Trump pressure flips two key Republican defectors.

15 Jan 2026 - 9:17AM

Trump praises Venezuela’s ‘terrific’ interim president after call

After sidelining Venezuela’s opposition, the US president touts ‘tremendous progress’ on oil and security with Maduro’s former deputy.

15 Jan 2026 - 10:32AMvideocam

Greater Bay Area

Letters | The strategic calculations behind Trump’s Venezuela raid

Readers discuss the objectives of the US raid on Venezuela, why the episode pleases China and Russia, and how to help Shenzhen shine as a global city.

14 Jan 2026 - 11:30AM

US President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with oil executives in the East Room of the White House in Washington on January 9. Trump aims to convince them to support his plans for Venezuela. Photo: AFP

US-China relations

Opinion | Trump’s audacious imperialism will only propel China’s rise

Far from setting China back, Trump’s foreign policy is bolstering the case for viewing Beijing as the driver of a more equitable world.

13 Jan 2026 - 8:30PMvideocam

Illustration: Craig Stephens

China-Latin America relations

‘Expansion to defence’: China firms strategise in Latin America after Venezuela

After the abduction of former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, many Chinese entrepreneurs in the region say they are staying put – for now.

13 Jan 2026 - 9:55AMvideocam

Trump sets meeting with Machado as Venezuela frees more prisoners

White House plans Thursday talks with the Nobel winner while continuing to engage Venezuela’s leaders on oil access and prisoner releases.

13 Jan 2026 - 3:45PMvideocam

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Supertankers sailing to pick up Venezuelan oil for China make U-turn: ship data

The Xingye and Thousand Sunny, which have not been the subject of sanctions, head back to Asia after weeks of idling in the Atlantic.

13 Jan 2026 - 10:11AM

Several oil tankers off the coast of Venezuela. Photo: Xinhua

Cuba’s president denies being in talks with US after Trump threats

Havana rejects ‘make a deal’ ultimatum as Trump vows to cut off Venezuelan oil and money to the communist-run island.

13 Jan 2026 - 10:40AMvideocam

Opinion | Why US ops in Venezuela have shaken Asia-Pacific’s middle powers

Middle powers fear a return to ‘rules of the jungle’ geopolitics as rival powers carve out spheres of influence.

13 Jan 2026 - 1:31AMvideocam

Trump says might keep Exxon out of Venezuela after CEO called it ‘uninvestable’

US president voices displeasure with the US company’s response to his initiative for Venezuela’s oil industry.

12 Jan 2026 - 4:25PM

The downtown skyline and the Cota 905 neighbourhood in Caracas, Venezuela. Photo: AP

Opinion | Forget Venezuela and Greenland – here is the real trillion-dollar question

As the world fixates on US military adventurism, trillion-dollar shifts in trade, R&D and debt are rebalancing the global economy and geopolitics.

12 Jan 2026 - 9:02AM

China has become the first nation to post a US$1 trillion annual trade surplus, while the US is adding that much to its national debt every 71 days. Photo: Reuters

Editorial | US raid on Venezuela should push nations to revive collective security

Following Washington’s fragrant breach of international law, responsible member states must restore the UN’s credibility and authority.

12 Jan 2026 - 11:53AM

China-Latin America relations

Open Questions | Zheng Yongnian on what US’ ‘neocolonialism’, Venezuela operation mean for China

Political scientist says the Western-led global order remains useful, and the Belt and Road Initiative isn’t a geopolitical project.

12 Jan 2026 - 10:06AMvideocam

Cuba defiant after Trump threat to cut off ‘oil and money’ lifeline

Cuban president says island is prepared to ‘defend homeland to last drop of blood’ as Trump ramps up pressure after action in Venezuela.

12 Jan 2026 - 4:26PMvideocam

Cubans rally in Havana on January 3 in solidarity with Venezuela after the US captured President Nicolas Maduro and flew him out of the country. Photo: AP

Could China execute special forces operation like US precision Maduro abduction?

The Pentagon sees China’s 20,000-30,000 special operation personnel as limited by logistics support and fragmented command structure.

11 Jan 2026 - 10:00PMvideocam

On January 5, Nicolas Maduro is escorted towards the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse in Manhattan after being abducted from Caracas by US forces. Analysts ask whether China has the capacity to carry out a similar opertion. Photo: Reuters

Britain in talks with Nato allies over Arctic security as US eyes Greenland

UK minister says talks on the Arctic ‘business as usual’, while Trump posits having Greenland ‘one way or the other’.

12 Jan 2026 - 3:06PM

US-China relations

Opinion | How Trump’s ‘Donroe Doctrine’ is escalating US-China rivalry

Maduro’s capture not only challenges China’s influence in Latin America but also signals a bolder US security posture that could reshuffle great-power competition.

11 Jan 2026 - 9:25PMvideocam

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