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Britain's Queen Elizabeth with US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania. Photo: AFP

Donald Trump’s UK visit: ‘special relationship’ tested as US president puts trade, security and China’s Huawei on the table

  • Trump brings Brexit advice, teases ‘very big trade deal’, on state visit to troubled UK
  • US president will warn Britain against dealing with China’s Huawei
Donald Trump
Agencies

US President Donald Trump arrived in Britain on Monday on a state visit laden with diplomatic peril, having already humiliated outgoing Prime Minister Theresa May over Brexit and challenging her to be tougher in dealing with China’s Huawei.

He was greeted by the queen at Buckingham Palace on the first day of his state visit after he and his wife Melania arrived by helicopter, landing in the monarch’s back garden.

Royal gun salutes were fired from nearby Green Park and from the Tower of London as part of the pageantry.

On Tuesday, thousands of demonstrators are expected to protest in London over a visit packed with pomp and controversy that has seen numerous calls for its cancellation.

And true to form, the proudly unpredictable US president ripped up the diplomatic rule book before he even touched down by saying former foreign minister Boris Johnson would make an “excellent” choice to succeed May, who is set to formally resign on Friday.

Then on landing, he sent out a tweet calling London Mayor Sadiq Khan a “stone cold loser” for criticising his red carpet treatment.

Khan, a Muslim whose parents arrived in London from Pakistan, wrote a newspaper article on Sunday in which he compared the president to European dictators from the 1930s and 1940s – lashing out at Trump’s “deliberate use of xenophobia, racism and ‘otherness’ as an electoral tactic” and his travel ban efforts on mostly Muslim countries.

Trump has also recommended May’s successor walk away from talks with Brussels, refuse to pay Britain’s agreed divorce bill and leave the EU with no deal.

US ambassador to Britain Woody Johnson stoked further controversy by suggesting that every area of Britain’s economy should be up for discussion when the two sides brokered a trade deal.

Donald Trump sports slick hairstyle after golf trip

The ambassador, who is a close friend of the president, suggested the UK would need to allow US agricultural products, including chlorinated chicken, in to its market as part of any post-Brexit trade deal, as well as US private sector involvement in the National Health Service (NHS).

“As you know they want to do trade with the United States, and I think there is an opportunity for a very big trade deal at some point in the near future,” Trump told reporters before departing.

“And we will see how that works out.”

Boris Johnson is an ‘excellent’ choice to succeed PM Theresa May, Donald Trump says. Photo: Reuters

At a meeting with May on Tuesday, Trump will warn Britain that security cooperation could be hurt if London allows China’s Huawei a role in building parts of the 5G network, the next generation of cellular technology.

The Trump administration has told allies not to use its 5G technology and equipment because of fears it would allow China to spy on sensitive communications and data.

Huawei denies it is, or could be, a vehicle for Chinese intelligence.

The highly controversial decision is reported to have been given the go-ahead after a tense national security meeting where May had the casting vote to allow Huawei to build “noncore” parts of the network, despite cabinet opposition.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson was sacked for leaking details of the meeting.

Speaking to CBS, UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt underlined the growing UK government doubts about Huawei being given access to UK 5G networks.

He said that China “have said they want to have an 80 per cent market share of telecoms technology and in other areas like artificial intelligence, they want a 90 per cent market share by 2025 … And we have to ask as western countries whether it’s wise to allow one country to have such a commanding monopoly in the technologies that we’re all of us going to be depending on.”

He added that the UK would “never take a decision that affected our intelligence-sharing capability with the United States”.

Ahead of state visit to London, US President Donald Trump urges the UK to be ‘very careful’ over Huawei and 5G

Sajid Javid, who is also running to be Tory leader, said he would oppose Huawei’s involvement in the network.

“I would not want any company, whatever country it is from, that has this high degree of control by a foreign government, to have access to our very sensitive telecommunications network,” he said.

The Trump team are also likely to probe Downing Street to see if, once outside the EU, the UK might support US economic sanctions to force Tehran to reopen the nuclear deal.

The US hopes that a Boris Johnson premiership might back Trump’s approach.

Protesters are planning another big turnout this week and are hoping to once again fly their inflatable balloon showing Trump as a baby. Photo: AP

The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, the Commons Speaker, John Bercow, and the Lib Dem leader, Sir Vince Cable, all declined invitations to attend the state banquet on Monday at Buckingham Palace with Trump, Melania and his four adult children.

Britain’s so-called special relationship with the United States is an enduring alliance, but some British voters see Trump as crude, volatile and opposed to their values on issues ranging from global warming to his treatment of women.

‘Dumping Trump’: giant Donald Trump robot sitting on gold toilet is on its way from China to Britain to protest US president’s visit

Trump’s first official visit to Britain last year was overshadowed by criticism of May’s approach to Brexit, as well as large demonstrations.

Protesters are planning another big turnout this week and are hoping to once again fly their inflatable balloon showing Trump as a baby over the streets of London.

Donald Trump denied calling Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, ‘nasty’. Photo: AFP

He is not expected to meet Prince Harry and his American wife Meghan Markle, who has previously been highly critical of Trump.

Trump was asked about reports that he had cast Duchess Meghan as “nasty” for criticising him.

“No, I made no bad comment,” Trump told reporters.

On Twitter he said: “I never called Meghan Markle “nasty.” Made up by the Fake News Media, and they got caught cold!”

Trump on Wednesday will travel to Portsmouth for the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings at Southsea Common, alongside over 300 D-Day veterans and other world leaders.

Reuters, The Guardian, The Washington Post, Agence France-Presse, Associated Press

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: pomp and protests to mark trump state visit
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