Le Journal

TORONTO (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Wednesday that he will visit China next week to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping as Canada looks to reduce its reliance on the United States, which has threatened its economy and sovereignty. It is the first visit to China by a Canadian prime minister in more than eight years. Xi invited Carney to China when they met during an Asia-Pacific summit in October. The visit comes as the two countries move to restore stronger ties after years of tensions. “We’re forging new partnerships around the world to transform our economy from one that has been reliant on a single trade partner, to one that is stronger and more resilient to global shock,” Carney said in a statement on Wednesday. Carney will travel to China from Jan. 13 to 17. He will also attend the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland from Jan. 19 to 21. Trump has been threatening Canada’s economy and sovereignty with tariffs, most offensively by claiming Canada could be “the 51st state.” The attempt at rapprochement with China comes as Carney looks to double Canada’s non-U.S. exports in the next decade and as the free trade agreement with the U.S. and Mexico is up for review this year. More than 75% percent of Canada’s exports go to the U.S. China is Canada’s second largest trading partner. Relations between China and Canada took a nosedive in late 2018 after Canadian authorities arrested a senior executive of Chinese tech giant Huawei as a part of its extradition agreement with the United States. China then arrested two Canadian citizens in retaliation. More recently, relations have been shaken by Canada’s decision to levy a 100% tariff on electric vehicles, batteries and other goods from China in 2024. Canada made the move in tandem with the U.S. Canadian canola producers, seafood exporters and pork farmers are dealing with steep Chinese tariffs in retaliation. China has offered to remove its import taxes on some Canadian products if Canada drops the EV tariff. Source

WASHINGTON (AP) — Speaker Mike Johnson has invited President Donald Trump to give the first State of the Union address of his second term on Feb. 24. The invitation sent on Wednesday notes that the nation is marking the 250th anniversary of American independence. The invitation touted the work of Trump and a Republican-led Congress in 2025 and pointed to the year ahead. “We look forward to advancing the important work ahead of us in 2026, serving the American people, defending liberty, and preserving this grand experiment in self-governance,” Johnson wrote. The address will give Trump the chance to shape the GOP’s message to voters going into a midterm election that will determine whether Republicans maintain control of Congress, or if Democrats can win one or both chambers and gain the ability to better confront Trump’s legislative agenda during his final two years in office. Trump has addressed Congress once before in his second term, delivering a speech to a joint session in March. Source

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester City’s Premier League title hopes took another blow after a 1-1 draw with Brighton on Wednesday. Not even Erling Haaland’s 150th goal for the club was enough to stop City from dropping points for the second time in as many games, with Kaoru Mitoma equalizing for Brighton in the second half. Aston Villa also missed out on the chance to move within three points of first-place Arsenal after a goalless draw at Crystal Palace, and new Chelsea coach Liam Rosenior watched on from the stands as his new team was beaten 2-1 by Fulham. Antoine Semenyo struck a late winner in Bournemouth’s 3-2 victory over Tottenham in what could be his last game before a widely anticipated move to City. ___ James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson ___ AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer Source

From front-page news to powerful moments you may have missed, this gallery showcases today’s top photos chosen by Associated Press photo editors. Source