International News 23 September 2026
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Canada Targets November Sign-off as Trade Pacts with ASEAN and Philippines Reach Final Stretch
Negotiations on separate free trade agreements between Canada and both the Philippines and the broader Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are more than 90% complete, as Ottawa aims to finalize both pacts ahead of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s planned visit to Manila in November 2026. "There is an appetite on both sides to get it done, and that is the most important part," Canadian International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, on the sidelines of a Southeast Asian economic ministers' meeting in Manila. The dual trade initiatives align with Ottawa’s broader economic security strategy to diversify trade partners, reduce single-market dependencies, and build resilient, alternative supply chain corridors across the Indo-Pacific region amid heightened global geopolitical and economic volatility.
Strait of Hormuz Commodity Ship Traffic Drops to Near-Standstill as Transit Risks Escalate
Commercial vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz collapsed to near-standstill levels on Monday, September 21, 2026, with preliminary tracking data revealing that only two commodity carriers navigated the vital energy and shipping corridor—down from 10 vessels the previous day. According to Reuters, citing ship-tracking data from Kpler, the two monitored vessels included a Panama-flagged Supramax vessel carrying minerals and a Liberia-flagged bulk carrier, both entering via undisclosed routes. Analysts noted that tracking figures exclude ships that may have traversed the strait "dark" by disabling their Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponders to evade detection. The collapse in transit volumes highlights the severe chokehold placed on global supply chains by regional hostilities. Prior to the onset of the conflict involving Iran on February 28, approximately 125 large commercial vessels—including crude oil tankers, liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers, bulk freighters, and container ships—passed through the waterway daily. The Strait of Hormuz is widely considered the world’s most critical maritime energy artery, typically facilitating the movement of roughly 20% of global crude oil and LNG supply.
Xi Set to Press Trump on Halting Taiwan Arms Sales During Upcoming US Summit
Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to meet U.S. President Donald Trump during a visit to the United States this week, where he is expected to urge the American administration to halt weapons sales to Taiwan under the terms of the 1982 Sino-U.S. Joint Communiqué, according to Reuters sources. Beijing routinely frames the Taiwan issue as its most sensitive and pivotal diplomatic red line, repeatedly demanding an immediate cessation of U.S. military assistance to the island. Despite the lack of formal diplomatic relations, Washington remains bound by domestic law to supply democratically governed Taiwan with defensive capabilities, while Taipei continues to firmly reject Beijing’s sovereignty claims.