Australia-UK trade tensions are a post-Brexit crossroads: do we want to be Global Britain or do we want to pursue protectionism? When it comes to sport, particularly cricket and rugby, there is perhaps no fiercer rivalry than between the UK and Australia. Yet away from the Test arena, there are perhaps very few countries that share such a strong relationship. Both nations share a language, the monarchy, similar cultural connections and diplomatic and security ties. The strength of [...]
Will 2021 herald the end of the trade wars? 2020 began with hope of a fragile truce in the US-China trade war. The Phase 1 trade deal between Washington and Beijing was signed in January. However, this talked only about product purchases; it did not cover the most contentious issues around security and intellectual property theft. As a result, the deal effectively handed the [...]
Britain must stick up for trade The global economy has shut down and as a consequence, so has global trade. Around 80% of the world’s trade is carried by sea and since the beginning of the year there were over 430 so-called “blank sailings”, where shipping lines cancel their journey. The number is expected to increase into May and for comparison, [...]
The US-China trade spat is a proxy war in a much bigger battle October 10, 2019 Make no mistake, the trade war is real. But it is being used as a proxy by China and the US to fight a bigger battle: one that transcends orthodox definitions of hard and soft power to incorporate “sharp” power – influence over finance, information, ideas, even thought and behaviours. It is a fight for [...]
Trade is being weaponised – and it’s driving the G7 apart when we need the alliance most August 30, 2019 In the recent past, the G7 has largely been a talking shop for the leaders of the world’s biggest economies, who gather for a couple of days before sending out a communique generally agreeing that the western consensus should be maintained, and that globalisation is a good thing. Last year, all that changed. Who can [...]
While the US and China sneeze, London too risks catching a cold May 15, 2019 The trade dispute between China and the US has escalated. After Donald Trump tweeted that he was imposing higher tariffs on $200bn of Chinese imports to the US, China predictably retaliated, announcing on Monday that it would impose a further $60bn of tariffs on US goods coming into the country. Much attention has been paid [...]
