The story appears on

Page A3

August 26, 2019

GET this page in PDF

Free for subscribers

View shopping cart

Related News

Home » World

Johnson hints at US trade discords

BRITISH Prime Minister Boris Johnson said yesterday he and US President Donald Trump were “gung-ho” about a post-Brexit trade deal but cautioned the United States would be tough negotiators and that he would not rush talks.

Trump promised a big trade deal for Britain after it leaves the European Union, which he said had been a drag on Britain’s ability to cut a good deal.

Facing a delicate task of assuaging European allies while not angering Trump at a G7 summit in France, Johnson said there were huge opportunities for British businesses in the US market, but hinted at differences between the two sides on the scope of a deal.

Moreover, he added, Washington would have to relax some “protectionist” policies. “They want to do it within a year, I’d love to do it within a year, but that’s a very fast timetable,” he told Sky News.

Earlier, before the two leaders began a trade-focused bilateral meeting, Trump said he was looking forward to discussing big numbers with Johnson.

“We’re going to do a very big trade deal — bigger than we’ve ever had with the UK,” Trump said. “At some point, they won’t have the obstacle of — they won’t have the anchor around their ankle, because that’s what they had.”

With less than three months until an October 31 deadline, it is still unclear, how, when or even whether Britain will leave the EU. The uncertainty around Brexit, the United Kingdom’s most significant political and economic post-war move, has left allies aghast and roiled markets.

Britain has yet to agree any kind of exit deal to smooth the divorce between the world’s fifth largest economy and its biggest trading partner, raising fears of shortages and widespread disruption.




 

Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.

沪公网安备 31010602000204号

Email this to your friend