Canada's ruling Liberal Party leader Mark Carney was sworn in as the 24th prime minister of the country and appointed a new cabinet on Friday.
The 24-member transition cabinet includes the main players who held portfolios central to managing Canada-U.S. relationship.
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly stays where she is, while former Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc retains the Canada-U.S. file as Carney's new international trade minister. Former Innovation, Science and Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne was promoted as finance minister.
At a press conference following the swearing-in ceremony, Carney outlined the government's top priorities which are safeguarding Canadian workers and strengthening the national economy, especially in light of ongoing trade tensions and tariff threats from the United States.
"Our leaner cabinet will focus on two priorities in particular: First, protecting Canadian workers and their families in the face of unjustified foreign trade actions. And second, growing this great country by putting more money in Canadians' pockets, by ensuring the government spends less so Canada can invest more," Carney said.
He also announced potential visits to the United Kingdom and France next week, with no plan to visit the United States.
"I received the questions on a trip to Paris and London in a few days. I received an invitation from the president of France to discuss a variety of issues, both economic, commercial, to reinforce those relationships, also issues related to security in Europe, in Canada. Similar discussions will be had with the prime minister in the United Kingdom. I don't have plans to go to the United States. I look forward to speaking to him at an appropriate moment," he said.
Addressing U.S. President Donald Trump's previous remarks about making Canada the "51st U.S. state," Carney said Canada will "never in anyway, shape or form be part of the United States."
After decisively winning the Liberal leadership last Sunday, Carney took the reins from Justin Trudeau who officially tendered his resignation to Governor General Mary Simon before Carney's swearing-in ceremony.
Mark Carney sworn in as Canada's prime minister
Mark Carney sworn in as Canada's prime minister
Tiangong Ultra, an upgraded version of the China-made "Tiangong" humanoid robot, is currently undergoing tests in preparation for a half-marathon next month in Beijing.
The race, set for April 13 in the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area in the capital city's southeast, will feature both robotic and human athletes competing on the same route but on separate tracks to ensure safety for all participants.
The competition is open to global robot companies, research institutes, robot clubs and universities. So far, 23 organizations have signed up for the competition.
Developed by the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, Tiangong Ultra has a bigger size, longer legs, and a stronger hip compared to its old version. In addition, unlike Tiangong, which has two iron sheets as feet, Tiangong Ultra wears a pair of "shoes" to minimize impact on its feet and ankle joints from running, according to engineers at the center.
"Aside from upgrades to Tiangong's body and structure, we have also greatly improved its motion algorithm, strengthening its capabilities for gait planning, body coordination, and motion control," said Wei Jiaxing, director of branding and public relations at the center.
In a race between Tiangong and Tiangong Ultra, the upgraded version demonstrated larger strides, a more stable running form, and a significantly higher speed.
"Its highest speed can reach 12 kilometers per hour. Considering the stability and endurance of the Tiangong robot when running outdoors, we may slightly reduce the speed. But we are still very confident that it can complete the half marathon," Wei said.
Bolstered by strong capital investment, China' robotics industry is growing rapidly, with versatile applications becoming increasingly prominent across a wide range of fields, including industrial automation, healthcare and service industries.
According to a report on the humanoid robot industry released at the 2024 World AI Conference in Shanghai, China's humanoid robot market scale was approximately 2.76 billion yuan (about 381.28 million U.S. dollars) last year.
By 2029, it is expected to expand to 75 billion yuan (about 10.36 billion U.S. dollars), which would account for 32.7 percent of the global market.
Humanoid robot set to run Beijing half-marathon
