Hong Kong’s leader has said he hopes to promote “positive relations” with the United States under the new administration of President Donald Trump, but warned against any attempts to interfere in the city’s political and judicial affairs.

The [Panama government] needs concrete data to counter this China is controlling the canal narrative,’ insider says.

Asia-Pacific markets were set to open higher Monday, ahead of Donald Trump's inauguration with investors awaiting greater clarity on the policies of the incoming U.S. administration. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.2% at the open.

Whether it is over TikTok, fentanyl or trade, Beijing might welcome a compromise to buy time to address its ailing economy and bolster its position globally.

Asian lawmakers are warming to crypto as Trump’s pro-crypto agenda inspires policy shifts and drives innovation across the region.

During his inaugural address, President Trump claimed that the United States “lost 38,000 lives” during the construction of the Panama Canal. This is similar to a claim he’s made before—in 2023 he quoted a figure of 35,000 deaths.

Panama has complained to the United Nations over US President Donald Trump's "worrying" threat to seize the Panama Canal, even as it launched an audit of the Hong Kong-linked operator of two ports on the interoceanic waterway.

(L-R) Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Argentina’s President Javier Milei, and China’s Vice President Han Zheng during US President Donald Trump’s inauguration as the 47th President of the United States in the rotunda of the United States Capitol in Washington, DC, USA, 20 January 2025. SHAWN THEW/Pool via REUTERS

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump took his second oath of office Jan. 20 as the 47th president of the United States, offering an agenda heavily foreshadowed by his campaign promises. Speaking from inside the U.S. Capitol Rotunda because of the subfreezing temperatures, Trump said, "The golden age of America begins right now."

Panama has reportedly submitted a formal letter to the U.N. rejecting Trump's statement about reclaiming the canal. The country's President José Raúl Mulino said in the letter, dated January 20, that the canal "is and will continue to be Panama's," the New York Times reported.

European markets ticked cautiously higher as the world looks to the inauguration of Donald Trump later on today.