Day: January 16, 2026

China’s US envoy says world faces ‘stark choice’ as 2026 opens with instability

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China’s top diplomat in the United States delivered a sharply worded rebuke on Thursday over US President Donald Trump’s tumultuous approach to global relations, laying out a stark choice between a world informed by China-led stability and one battered by Washington. Chinese ambassador Xie Feng’s comments to the 1,000-member China General Chamber of Commerce come two weeks into Trump’s second year of his latest term in the White House. The past fortnight has already seen the Trump administration abduct Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro; threaten Greenland, Mexico, Colombia and Cuba; pull…

Canada PM hails new partnership with China in wake of ‘new global realities’

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Canada’s prime minister Mark Carney hailed a “new strategic partnership” with China as he held talks in Beijing with president Xi Jinping on Friday, the first visit there by a Canadian leader in eight years. Addressing Xi in the Great Hall of the People, Carney said that “together we can build on the best of what this relationship has been in the past to create a new one adapted to new global realities”. Engagement and cooperation would be “the foundation of our new strategic partnership”, he said. “Agriculture, energy, finance,…

EU and Australia wrangle over food imports in push to seal trade pact

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Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the EU trade myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. The EU and Australia are engaged in last-minute haggling over food imports as they push to clinch a long-delayed trade deal next month. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen is expected to travel to Australia in February to sign the pact, which the two sides have failed to sign on three previous occasions despite ongoing talks since 2018. The Commission is hoping to build on its success earlier this…

Chinese asset manager hits Rmb1tn ETF milestone as ‘national team’ supports stocks

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Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Chinese business & finance myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. One of China’s largest asset managers has become the first company in the country to pass Rmb1tn ($143bn) in exchange traded funds under management, a beneficiary of Beijing’s push to get the “national team” to support stocks. The value of China Asset Management’s ETFs reached Rmb1.02tn earlier this week, according to data company Wind. E Fund, another leading Chinese asset manager, is also approaching that amount. While China’s…