MONTREAL: Prime Minister Mark Carney will begin a state visit to China on Tuesday, the first in eight years for a Canadian leader, with the aim of discussing trade and rebuilding ties after years of diplomatic tensions. Chinese President Xi Jinping invited Carney last October during a meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, which Carney described as a &ldquo;turning point&rdquo; in the two nations&rsquo; strained relationship. The Jan. 13-17 trip seeks to &ldquo;strengthen cooperation in the areas of trade, energy, agriculture and international security,&rdquo; a Carney spokeswoman told AFP. &lsquo;Huge step forward&rsquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a huge step forward,&rdquo; said Gordon Houlden, a former Canadian diplomat and director of the University of Alberta&#39;s China Institute. Houlden told AFP that if &ldquo;some of the commercial problems that are affecting our exports had a political origin, then solving the political origin may, or should, have some positive effect on the trade.&rdquo; The last Canadian leader to visit China was Justin Trudeau in December 2017. Ties withered in 2018 after the arrest of a senior executive from Chinese tech giant Huawei on a US warrant in Vancouver and China&rsquo;s retaliatory detention of two Canadians on espionage charges. China has also been accused of interfering in Canadian elections in recent years. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">Second-largest trade partner</h2>Carney will meet with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and business leaders to advance trade negotiations, focusing on efforts to attract new investors and secure strategic partnerships. In the face of protectionism and attacks from US President Donald Trump, he will also seek to develop new markets to lessen Canada&rsquo;s economic dependence on its neighbor to the south. China is currently Canada&#39;s second-largest trade partner, with bilateral trade reaching $118.7 billion Canadian dollars ($85.3 billion) in 2024. &ldquo;This visit is important because China is obviously an inescapable superpower,&rdquo; Guy Saint-Jacques, Canada&rsquo;s ambassador to China from 2012-2016, told AFP.<h2 style="line-height: 2;"> </h2><h2 id="isPasted" style="line-height: 2;">&lsquo;The elephant in the room&rsquo;&nbsp;</h2>He said a deal on Chinese energy supplies and electric vehicles was a possible outcome from the talks. But &ldquo;the elephant in the room,&rdquo; he mentioned, is the thorny issue of tariffs. Since the summer of 2024, Ottawa and Beijing have clashed on trade, with Canada imposing tariffs on electric vehicles and Chinese steel, while Beijing has retaliated with levies on agricultural products, including canola. Economic objectives vs security priorities&nbsp;&ldquo;Whatever agreements Canada has with China will be scrutinized in Washington and might have implications&rdquo; for three-way talks with Washington and Mexico on a free trade agreement, set to be renegotiated this year, said Vina Nadjibulla, vice president of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. Carney&#39;s challenge is &ldquo;going to be to advance economic objectives while not sacrificing our national security and economic security priorities,&rdquo; she added. After his trip to Beijing, Carney is scheduled to travel to Qatar for a bilateral visit and then head to Switzerland to attend the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos.

Americas

The Jan. 13-17 trip seeks to ‘strengthen cooperation in the areas of trade, energy, agriculture and international security,’ a Carney spokeswoman told AFP; bilateral trade reached $118.7 billion Canadian dollars ($85.3 billion) in 2024.

Canada's Carney plans to talk trade, relations during China visit

BEIJING:&nbsp;French President Emmanuel Macron told Xi Jinping that France and China must overcome their &ldquo;differences&rdquo;, as the two leaders met in Beijing on Thursday. &ldquo;Sometimes there are differences, but it is our responsibility to overcome them for the greater good,&rdquo; Macron told Xi during the meeting. The Chinese leader echoed Macron, calling for &ldquo;more stable&rdquo; ties with France during their talks at the Great Hall of the People. &lsquo;More stable&rsquo;Xi said China was willing to work with France &ldquo;to exclude any interference&rdquo; and &ldquo;make the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and France more stable&rdquo;. Macron and his wife Brigitte were given a grand welcome by Xi and First Lady Peng Liyuan to the Great Hall of the People, where the ceremony was moved indoors due to cold weather. Macron blew kisses to children who held flowers, while a band played the national anthems of both countries. Top of Macron&#39;s agenda during his three-day visit to China is the issue of Ukraine and the role Beijing could play in securing a ceasefire. Rebalancing trade ties&nbsp;&quot;We must continue to work towards peace and stability in the world, and in Ukraine and other regions affected by war,&quot; Macron told Xi, adding: &quot;Our capacity to work together is decisive.&quot; The French president also called for rebalancing trade ties, and urged Xi to work with G7 countries for rules-based economic governance.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-3" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-3&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1996188658487922937&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fsections%2F&sessionId=92a695e3547cf2463211d3633b6c821060f9ae9c&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 897px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="1996188658487922937">&nbsp;</iframe></div></div><h2 style="line-height: 2;">Pressure on Ukraine&nbsp;</h2>Macron, visiting China for the fourth time since taking office in 2017, is also expected to meet with Premier Li Qiang before travelling to Chengdu, where two giant pandas loaned to France were recently returned. Macron has sought to pressure Xi to help secure a ceasefire in Ukraine, as the war with Russia drags into a fourth winter. Macron&#39;s three-day visit to Beijing follows a trip to Paris by Ukraine&#39;s President Volodymyr Zelensky, who urged Europe to stand by Kyiv as US President Donald Trump pushes a plan to end the war. &quot;We share the view that the war must be brought to a fair end,&quot; Zelensky wrote on social media after Monday&#39;s talks with Macron, which also included phone calls with other European leaders.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-4" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-4&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1995507343648235773&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fsections%2F&sessionId=92a695e3547cf2463211d3633b6c821060f9ae9c&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 344px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="1995507343648235773"></iframe></div></div><h2 style="line-height: 2;">Over $350B trade deficit &nbsp;</h2>Macron is also due to discuss trade with his Chinese hosts, with the European Union facing a massive trade deficit of $357 billion with the Asian powerhouse. &quot;It is necessary for China to consume more and export less... and for Europeans to save less and produce more,&quot; an adviser to Macron said. Macron has previously called for the European Union to reduce its dependence on China and for a &ldquo;European preference&rdquo; in the tech sector. Last month, he told a European summit of tech leaders and ministers from across the continent that the bloc does not want to be a &ldquo;vassal&rdquo; to US and Chinese tech companies. The French president will stay in China until Friday, with a final stop in Chengdu in the southwestern province of Sichuan. &lsquo;Quite exceptional&rsquo;Last week, two giant pandas loaned to France by China were flown to their ancestral home to retire at an animal sanctuary in the city. The Chinese embassy promised new bears would soon be dispatched to make up for the popular pair leaving. The Chengdu visit is &ldquo;quite exceptional in Chinese protocol&rdquo;, the French presidency said, adding it was &ldquo;appreciated as such&rdquo; by Macron. During his last trip to China, the French president was given a rock star welcome at a university in the southern city of Guangzhou, with students chanting his name and scrambling for selfies and high-fives.

Europe

China

French President Macron met Xi Jinping in Beijing, urging France and China to overcome differences, strengthen strategic partnership, rebalance trade, and work toward peace in Ukraine, while Xi emphasized stable ties and cooperation against interference.

China and France must overcome ‘differences’, Macron tells Xi

WEST PALM: President Donald Trump said Xi Jinping understands the consequences if China invades Taiwan, while refusing to specifically say the United States would defend the island, according to an extract of a CBS News interview broadcast Sunday.&nbsp;Trump said Taiwan &quot;never even came up as a subject&quot; when he met the Chinese president in South Korea on Thursday for their first face-to-face meeting in six years.&nbsp;Asked on CBS&#39;s &quot;60 Minutes&quot; whether he would order US forces into action if China moved militarily on Taiwan, Trump said: &quot;You&#39;ll find out if it happens, and he understands the answer to that.&quot;&nbsp;But Trump declined to spell out what he meant in the interview conducted Friday at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, adding: &quot;I can&#39;t give away my secrets. The other side knows.&quot;&nbsp;The US president claimed that Xi and those close to him had &quot;openly said&quot; that &quot;&#39;we would never do anything while President Trump is president,&#39; because they know the consequences.&quot;&nbsp;China claims self-governing Taiwan as its territory. Under longstanding policy, the United States recognizes only Beijing but provides weapons for the island&#39;s self-defense.&nbsp;The issue continues to provoke tensions, which Trump and Xi appeared to have avoided at their summit, focusing instead on easing the trade war between Washington and Beijing.

US president claims President Xi and those close to him had "openly said" that they would never do anything while he is president, "because they know the consequences."



Trump says Xi understands 'consequences' if China invades Taiwan

BEIJING: China said Saturday it will exempt some Nexperia chips from an export ban that has alarmed European businesses, days after trade talks between the leaders of the world&#39;s two largest economies. Anxiety over chip shortages began when Dutch officials invoked a Cold War-era law in late September to effectively take control of Nexperia, whose parent company Wingtech is backed by the Chinese government. China in response banned any re-exports of Nexperia chips to Europe and accused the United States of meddling in Dutch legal procedures to remove Nexperia&#39;s Chinese CEO. &quot;We will comprehensively consider the actual situation of enterprises and grant exemptions to exports that meet the criteria,&quot; a Chinese commerce ministry spokesperson said in a statement. The resumption of some Nexperia shipments was part of a trade deal agreed by Chinese President Xi Jinping and his American counterpart Donald Trump after talks in South Korea on Thursday, the Wall Street Journal reported citing unnamed sources. Chinese and European Union officials were also to discuss Nexperia while meeting in Brussels the same day, EU spokesman Olof Gill had said. Nexperia produces relatively simple technologies such as diodes, voltage regulators and transistors that are nonetheless crucial, as vehicles increasingly rely on electronics. The chips are mainly found in cars but also in a wide range of industrial components as well as consumer and mobile electronics like refrigerators. The company makes them in Europe before sending them to China for finishing and then re-exporting them back to European clients. Automaker anxiety&nbsp;European carmakers and parts suppliers had warned of chip shortages supplied by Nexperia that would force stoppages at production lines in Europe. The chipmaker supplies 49 percent of the electronic components used in the European automotive industry, according to German financial daily Handelsblatt. The European auto lobby ACEA warned last month that production would be seriously hit. &quot;Without these chips, European automotive suppliers cannot build the parts and components needed to supply vehicle manufacturers and this therefore threatens production stoppages,&quot; the group said. Nexperia&#39;s chips, while widely used, are not &quot;unique&quot; in terms of technology and therefore &quot;easily substitutable&quot;, French parts maker OPmobility said. But suppliers must get the new products approved by automakers, which takes time. Beijing suggested on Saturday some shipments would resume. Companies who were experiencing difficulties could contact the ministry or local commerce authorities, the Chinese ministry spokesperson said.

China announced it will allow limited exemptions to its export ban on Nexperia chips, easing tensions with Europe amid fears of automotive supply disruptions and following trade talks between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump.

China to exempt some Nexperia orders from export ban

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE: &nbsp;US President Donald Trump said he had clinched a deal with China&rsquo;s President Xi Jinping on rare earths aboard Air Force One on Thursday. The US president told reporters China rare earths deal was for one year and was extendable. He also said that the US and China would &lsquo;work together&rsquo; on the Ukraine war. US President Donald Trump described his meeting with China&#39;s leader Xi Jinping was a &quot;great success&quot; and said he would head to China in April for new talks.<div class="fr-embed youtube-embed"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/I2hY2qJYtj0" title="President Trump Gaggles with Press on Air Force One, Oct. 30, 2025" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen="" style="width: 100%; height: auto; aspect-ratio: 16 / 9; max-width: 100%; display: block;"></iframe>&nbsp;</div>&quot;I&#39;ll be going to China in April and he&#39;ll be coming here sometime after that, whether it&#39;s in Florida, Palm Beach or Washington, DC.&quot; &quot;A lot of things we brought to finalisation&quot; at Thursday&#39;s talks in Busan, South Korea, added Trump, praising Xi as a &quot;tremendous leader of a very powerful country&quot;. &nbsp;He also said that he did not discuss Taiwan with President Xi. Trump also said he was too &#39;busy&#39; to meet North Korea&#39;s Kim Jong Un, adding he could &quot;come back&quot;. &nbsp; &#39;Consensus reached&#39;President Xi Jinping said China has reached a consensus with the United States on economic and trade issues, state media reported, after meeting Thursday with US leader Donald Trump. On Thursday, Xi told Trump that the two countries &quot;should have positive interactions on the regional and international stage&quot;, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported. Xi said that teams from both sides had &quot;exchanged in-depth views on important economic and trade issues and reached a consensus on resolving them&quot;, according to the Xinhua readout which offered no details on specific agreements reached. &quot;Both teams should refine and finalise follow-up work as soon as possible, maintain and implement the consensus and provide tangible results to set minds at ease about the economies of China, the United States and the world,&quot; he added. Earlier, Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump wrapped up their meeting on Thursday without making any official comments as Trump departed from South Korea. Trump, Xi meeting The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. Sitting opposite each other, each leader was flanked by senior officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury chief Scott Bessent, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Xi&#39;s team, which arrived from Beijing shortly before -- the US side was already in South Korea -- included Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, and Vice Premier He Lifeng. Trump and Xi opened their first face-to-face meeting in six years, seeking a truce to end a trade war that has roiled the world economy. Both countries need to work together: XiBefore the meeting, Xi told Trump that while the two countries did not always see eye to eye, they should strive to be &quot;partners and friends.&quot; &quot;China and the US can jointly shoulder our responsibility as major countries and work together to accomplish more great and concrete things for the good of our two countries and the whole world,&quot; Xi said. The US president, who minutes before the meeting said he had ordered the Pentagon to start nuclear weapons testing on a level with China and Russia, complimented a smiling Xi as a &quot;very tough negotiator&quot; as they shook hands. &quot;We&#39;ll have a great understanding,&quot; Trump said, predicting a &quot;fantastic relationship for a long period of time.&quot; The US leader&#39;s latest missive on nuclear weapons testing broadened the stakes for his talks with Xi. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">&#39;Even in five years&#39;&nbsp;</h2>Minutes before meeting Xi, Trump wrote on Truth Social that &quot;because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis.&quot; Trump added that in terms of nuclear weapons stockpiles, China was a &quot;distant third&quot; behind the United States and Russia, &quot;but will be even in 5 years.&quot; The comments came a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow had successfully tested a nuclear-capable, nuclear-powered underwater drone, in defiance of US warnings. No response&nbsp;Trump did not provide details or respond to a journalist&#39;s question about his surprise nuclear announcement before the crucial meeting with Xi. The world&#39;s two top economies&#39; trade tussle -- encompassing&nbsp;everything from rare earths to soybeans and port fees -- has rocked markets and gummed up supply chains for months. Following productive preparatory talks by top officials, Trump had said on Wednesday, on his way to South Korea, that &quot;a lot of problems are going to be solved&quot; in a &quot;great meeting.&quot; Export controls on rare earths &nbsp;Trump indicated that the agreement would include lowering 20% tariffs on Chinese goods related to fentanyl, which has killed tens of thousands of Americans. Of particular importance to Trump -- with an eye on US farmers -- is whether China will resume purchases of American soybeans. Another major issue is Beijing&#39;s export controls on rare earths announced this month, which prompted Trump to question the Xi summit. Beijing holds a virtual monopoly on these materials, which are essential for sophisticated electronic components across a range of industries. &quot;The easiest wins could include removing port fees for ships or lifting some fentanyl-related tariffs, which fall fully under presidential authority. China, in turn, could agree to purchase more US commodities to show goodwill,&quot; Yue Su at The Economist Intelligence Unit told AFP. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">Crowning achievement&nbsp;</h2>The Xi-Trump meeting took place on the sidelines of the APEC summit, attended by leaders of 21 countries, including Japan, Australia, and Canada. South Korea is the final stop on an Asia tour that saw Trump showered with praise and gifts, including a replica of an ancient Korean golden crown. In Japan, new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said she would nominate Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize and gave him a putter and a gold-plated golf ball. &lsquo;Not too distant future&rsquo;However, Trump&#39;s hopes of a re-run of his 2019 meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the Demilitarized Zone frontier appear to have dashed. Trump said that they would meet in the &quot;not too distant future&quot; and that he would like to &quot;straighten out&quot; tensions between North and South Korea. On Thursday, he hailed the military alliance with South Korea as &quot;stronger than ever&quot; and said he had given the green light for Seoul to build a nuclear-powered submarine.

Says meeting with China's leader Xi Jinping was a 'great success'; China rare earths deal is for one year and is extendable; and US and China to ‘work together’ on the Ukraine war; President Xi said China has reached a consensus with the United States on economic and trade issues.

Articles tagged with "Xi Jinping"

Canada's Carney plans to talk trade, relations during China visit

China and France must overcome ‘differences’, Macron tells Xi

Trump says Xi understands 'consequences' if China invades Taiwan

China to exempt some Nexperia orders from export ban

Clinched deal with China's Xi on rare earths: Trump