The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission today issued a landmark notice opening a sweeping investigation into the chassis practices of every container line serving U.S. trades. The probe will examine whether carriers’ conduct is fair and reasonable, and if it violates the Shipping Act—specifically by unjustly or unreasonably restricting motor carriers and shippers from choosing their own chassis suppliers. Industry watchers expect the outcome could profoundly reshape how containers move through American ports.

China’s auto-export landscape redrawn: Mexico overtakes Russia as top destination
Fresh data from CPCA Secretary-General Cui Dongshu show that in 2025 China shipped 625,200 vehicles to Mexico, up 180,500 units year-on-year, making Mexico the No. 1 export market for the first time. Russia, long the largest buyer, slipped to 582,700 units.

Trade and economic co-operation under the Belt and Road initiative chalked up a fresh report card in 2025, Vice-Minister of Commerce Yan Dong told a State Council Information Office press conference on 26 January, summarising the year in three “news”.Merchandise trade between China and B&R partners reached RMB 23.6 trillion, up 6.3 %—2.5 percentage points faster than overall trade—and lifted the partners’ share to 51.9 %.

On 23 January local time President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced that Brazil will waive short-term visas for holders of ordinary Chinese passports, reciprocating Beijing’s 30-day visa-free scheme for Brazilians that has been in force since June 2025.

A rash of fast-moving wildfires has forced Chile to declare a nationwide “disaster state” and is disrupting port operations. Fires that began in the south have damaged transport infrastructure and are now affecting terminals along the coast

China’s transformer exports hit an all-time high in 2025. Against a backdrop of global grid-equipment shortages and soaring prices, the value of China’s supply chain has been thrown into sharp relief.According to the General Administration of Customs, China’s transformer exports in 2025 reached a record RMB 646 billion, up nearly 36 percent year-on-year.

Recently, at the invitation of the Chinese Government, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney paid an official visit to China. The two sides reached broad consensus on deepening economic and trade cooperation, signed the "China-Canada Economic and Trade Cooperation Roadmap", and produced an initial joint arrangement on handling bilateral economic and trade issues, including two new adjustments to import tariffs on electric vehicles and agricultural products.

According to a 17 January 2026 report by the Financial Times, the European Commission will table a new Cybersecurity Act that would oblige EU member states to phase out Chinese-made equipment from critical infrastructure, excluding firms such as Huawei and ZTE from telecom networks and solar-power systems.

The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs announced on January 15 that Chinese citizens will be exempt from visa requirements for entry into the Philippines starting January 16, 2026, with a maximum stay of 14 days.The new visa-free regime is the perfect entry window. Add solid trade fundamentals, multiple policy tail-winds and continuously exploding incremental demand, and the Philippines is no longer a "potential stock" but a proven performer. Ride the policy breeze, match products to needs and seize first-mover advantage—your 2026 mega-order could be hiding on these energetic islands.

China released its December and full-year 2025 foreign-trade figures.For the year, merchandise trade reached USD 634 billion, up 3.2 % year-on-year. Exports withstood headwinds and rose 5.5 % to USD 377 billion.