Three Canadian stocks with insider buying poised to benefit from renewed Canada–China roadmap
The Canada–China Economic and Trade Cooperation Roadmap aims to deepen investment ties. Three Canadian stocks ranked highly by INK Edge Outlook show insider commitment and China exposure that could help them capitalise.
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By Torontoer Staff
The federal government’s recent trip to Beijing produced the Canada–China Economic and Trade Cooperation Roadmap, a pledge to deepen two-way investment cooperation across energy, advanced manufacturing, agriculture and consumer sectors. That shift in bilateral engagement creates a backdrop for selected Canadian companies with existing China exposure and recent insider buying.
Ink Research’s INK Edge Outlook ranks stocks by value, insider commitment and price momentum. Three names from energy and manufacturing rank in the top 30 per cent of that model and show insider activity that suggests management confidence in their China-facing plans.
Cenovus Energy (CVE-T): Oil and gas foothold in China
Cenovus entered the renewed bilateral context with several positive developments. The U.S. Energy Information Administration forecasts U.S. oil production to decline beginning in 2027, a view that supports the strategic logic behind Cenovus’s 2024 acquisition of MEG Energy and its long-life Christina Lake assets. In the first nine months of 2025, Cenovus reported production of 805,900 barrels of oil equivalent per day, with 38,100 boe/d sold to Chinese customers during that period.
Cenovus’s direct China exposure comes through the Liwan Gas Project, operated by CNOOC. Cenovus holds a 49 per cent interest in the Liwan 3-1 and Liuhua 34-2 fields and a 75 per cent interest in Liuhua 29-1, which began production in November 2020. Exploration activity with CNOOC is ongoing, and improved Canada–China relations provide a more constructive backdrop for joint initiatives and potential commercial expansion.
On the insider front, director Michael Crothers purchased 500 shares on January 6 at $22.39, following a December purchase of 2,500 shares. That buying reinforced Cenovus’s ranking in the INK Edge Outlook for insider commitment.
Magna International (MG-T): EV components and growing China ties
Magna, one of the world’s largest automotive suppliers, operates across North America, Europe and China and employs more than 170,000 people. The stock has risen roughly 32.5 per cent over the past six months. Insider activity has been limited to one relatively small public-market sale, which has helped preserve the stock’s standing in momentum and insider screens.
In 2024 Magna reported US$42.84 billion in sales, with US$5.56 billion coming from China. Last autumn the company expanded production in China with a new facility in the Jiujiang Economic and Technological Development Zone in Wuhu. That plant will produce Magna’s eDrive systems for battery-electric vehicles, with state-owned Chery named as the first customer. Magna also provides technology to XPENG as that company pursues European markets.
A stated goal of the roadmap is to encourage Chinese investment in Canada’s EV supply chain. Magna’s existing Chinese operations and product lines position it to be part of that supply-chain evolution if cross-border investment and procurement activity expands.
Firan Technology Group (FTG-T): Small-cap insider commitment and aerospace work in China
Firan Technology Group, a smaller-cap supplier with a market capitalisation under $400 million, has shown steady insider buying and rising Asia sales. The company operates two units, FTG Circuits and FTG Aerospace, with aerospace operations in Toronto, Calgary, California and Tianjin, China, and plans for a new facility in Hyderabad, India.
Since August 27, four insiders purchased a total of 20,036 shares on the public market at an average price of $10.60. Firan’s consolidated sales for the first nine months of 2025 reached $139.34 million, a 19.2 per cent increase year over year, with Asia sales of $20.13 million, up 62.3 per cent. In 2024 the company secured a contract to supply cockpit assemblies for China’s C919 narrow-body airliner. That contract runs until the third quarter of 2026.
Exposure to China varies in these three companies. Nevertheless, their foothold in the world’s second-largest economy may give them a head start to capitalise on the momentum the government hopes to achieve with its roadmap.
Ted Dixon, CEO of INK Research
What to watch next
- Roadmap implementation details, including investment facilitation measures and sector-specific agreements.
- Chinese direct investment commitments into Canadian energy and EV supply-chain projects.
- Commodity and oil price dynamics, especially the EIA outlook for North American production.
- Geopolitical and regulatory risks that could alter cross-border project timelines and approvals.
- Company-level milestones, such as new contracts, production ramp-ups and further insider buying or selling.
The roadmap sets an ambitious target to increase Canadian exports to China by 50 per cent by 2030. For investors, the early indicators to monitor are concrete investment announcements, supply-chain agreements and sustained insider commitment. The three companies above combine direct China exposure with recent insider buying, which is why they ranked highly in INK’s quantitative screens.
This report summarises publicly available figures and analyst models. Investors should consider company filings, expert analysis and their own risk tolerance before making investment decisions.
Canada-Chinastocksinsider buyingCenovusMagnaFiran
