China’s flagship overseas infrastructure finance programme the Belt and Road Initiative increased by three-quarters to a record $213.5bn in 2025 as Beijing sought to take advantage of wavering US influence around the world by pouring funding into development projects.

The trip, a whirlwind of meetings with Chinese industry and top government officials, conveyed how the prime minister is viewing the wider world.

On the first trip by a Canadian leader to China in eight years, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday that the two countries are entering a new era of relations. Carney, who became prime minister 10 months ago,

For China, the record $1.2 trillion annual trade surplus its authorities reported Wednesday is resounding proof of the resilience of its economy in the face of US trade friction.

Beijing’s air pollution continued to get worse for some years after the games as China continued to industrialize, grow, and urbanize, but since reaching it’s peak in 2013, the city has seen a drastic drop in pollution.

But that thickened a hazardous smog, which cloaked Beijing every winter. In 2017 the government banned coal burning and started installing gas heaters instead. The plan (combined with other measures,

Beijing residents witness the first snow of 2026 on January 18, 2026.Photo: VCG. Beijing’s plain areas continue to see light snow on Sunday morning, with yellow alerts in place

China banned the burning of coal for heat around Beijing, but natural gas subsidies have run out, leaving many villagers vulnerable in dangerously cold weather.

From campus hubs to distant suburbs, a map of where students can live well in the Chinese capital without overspending.

Hundreds of people on Saturday rallied in London against Beijing's controversial new "mega" embassy, days ahead of a decision on the plan. Protesters, their fac