UK officially joins CPTPP

The United Kingdom officially joined the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), one of the world's largest free trade deals, on Sunday, becoming the 12th member state of the bloc.

Upon its accession to the CPTPP, Britain became the first European nation to join the major trans-Pacific trading bloc, in what has been hailed as the country's biggest trade deal accession since Brexit.

This is also the first time a new country has joined the bloc since the agreement came into effect in 2018.

The CPTPP trade deal involves 11 countries, namely Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam, covers a market of about 500 million people, and generates more than 13 percent of the world's income.

The United Kingdom formally applied to join the CPTPP on Feb. 1 2021, and on the last day of March 2023, the country announced that it had completed the relevant negotiations and reached an agreement to join the bloc.

On July 16 last year, the CPTPP Ministerial Meeting formally approved the UK's accession.

UK officially joins CPTPP

UK officially joins CPTPP

UK officially joins CPTPP

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived in Beijing on Wednesday for an official visit to China through Saturday.

This visit marks the first trip to China by a Canadian Prime Minister in eight years.

When briefing on the visit of Carney, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said President Xi Jinping will meet with the Canadian prime minister to provide new strategic guidance for further improving and developing China-Canada relations.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Chairman of China's National People's Congress Standing Committee Zhao Leji will hold separate talks and meetings with the Canadian prime minister to conduct comprehensive and in-depth exchanges on bilateral relations as well as issues of mutual interest.

The spokesperson said China looks forward to taking this visit as an opportunity to enhance dialogue and communication, increase political mutual trust, expand practical cooperation, properly manage differences, address each other's concerns and consolidate the momentum of improvement in China-Canada relations to bring greater benefit for the two peoples.

Canadian PM arrives in Beijing for official visit