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Redefining a 'special relationship': Trump and May to talk trade

25 January 2017 22:10 (UTC +04:00)

Trade will dominate the first talks between the new leaders of the United States and Britain this week, with both hoping commitments to a future deal will redefine their 'special relationship' in a new world order, APA reports quoting Reuters.

For British Prime Minister Theresa May - who will be the first foreign leader to meet new U.S. President Donald Trump - even a simple promise to deepen trade ties between the two countries could strengthen her hand in divorce talks with the European Union.

Trump might use the meeting to go some way to winning concessions from Britain and bolster his vision of the United States exporting its way to prosperity.

But for both, the road to any firm trade deal is littered with pitfalls and could end up causing strains on the historically close relations between the countries, ties that have been almost driven as much by the personalities of their leaders as national interests.

Differences over genetically modified food, on meat production and public-sector procurement, and fears in Britain that U.S. companies might want to buy into its prized public health service could all hamper any swift movement on a deal.

Plus, while Trump has said a deal can be done "very quickly", both he and May both say they will put their respective countries' interests first.

One British source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, signaled that the government was taking a cautious approach, first wanting to get to know Trump's negotiating team and find out what a "quick" trade deal looked like.

"What determines the speed of deals is the level of engagement from the top (of the U.S. administration)," the source said.

May will meet Trump in Washington on Friday after stopping off in Philadelphia to meet senior Republican leaders from Congress at a retreat the day before.

The prime minister will be keen to press her Brexit message that she wants to build a "truly global Britain". But with the EU clear that Britain must not sign trade deals with other countries until it has left and British officials expressing concern over Trump's shift toward protectionism, May will probably be reluctant about making any binding commitments.