Canadian PM to visit China: spokeswoman

China

Canadian PM to visit China: spokeswoman

2026-01-12 16:22 Last Updated At：23:17

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will pay an official visit to China from January 14 to 17, a Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman announced at a press briefing in Beijing on Monday.

Carney's visit is at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang, said Mao Ning, the spokeswoman.

"Since last year, with the joint effort of both sides, China-Canada relations have gradually improved and developed. Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Prime Minister Carney in Gyeongju, the Republic of Korea, marked a turnaround in bilateral relations and the restoration, leading to the restoration and resumption of exchanges and cooperation across various fields. Prime Minister Carney's visit marks the first visit by a Canadian prime minister to China in eight years, and China attaches great importance to it. President Xi will meet with Carney to provide new strategic guidance for the further improvement and development of China-Canada relations. Premier Li Qiang and Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress Zhao Leji will also hold talks and meetings with him separately for comprehensive and in-depth exchange of views on bilateral relations and issues of common concern," Mao said.

"The healthy and stable development of China-Canada relations is in the common interest of both countries and their people, and is also conducive to world peace, stability, development, and prosperity. China hopes that Carney's visit will serve as an opportunity to strengthen dialogue and communication, enhance political mutual trust, expand pragmatic cooperation, properly handle differences, address each other's concerns, consolidate the positive momentum in China-Canada relations, and better benefit the people of both countries," she said.

China's bulk commodity price index up 10.9 pct y-o-y in Feb

China's bulk commodity price index posted solid year-on-year growth in February, signaling stable market conditions and resilient underlying momentum despite a slight monthly dip due to the Spring Festival holiday, industry data showed on Wednesday.

The index stood at 124.9 points in February, down 0.4 percent from January but up 10.9 percent compared with the same period last year, according to the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP).

Of the 50 major bulk commodities monitored by the federation, 24 registered month-on-month price increases. Oxidized praseodymium neodymium posted the strongest gain, rising 24.3 percent from January, followed by styrene-butadiene rubber (up 5.4 percent) and polyvinyl chloride (up 3.5 percent).

Analysts attribute the slight monthly decline to seasonal factors, with the holiday period temporarily dampening activity. However, the robust year-on-year growth suggests the market's positive trajectory and internal drivers remain intact.

As industries resume full operations after the holiday and investment and consumption demand pick up, the market is expected to gradually recover and stabilize in the coming months, the CFLP said.