LONDON • US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said yesterday the so-called special relationship between the United Kingdom and America is "in a fantastic place today", as he promised to put Britain "at the front of the line" for a new trade deal after Brexit.
His comments, at an event in London, were a boost for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson ahead of the UK's exit from the European Union.
"We intend to put the United Kingdom at the front of the line" for a free trade deal, Mr Pompeo said, speaking alongside British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab at the Policy Exchange think-tank.
His comments reiterate the determination of US President Donald Trump's administration to strike a new trade agreement with Britain as soon as possible.
That is in sharp contrast with the warning from former president Barack Obama, who said during the 2016 referendum campaign that Britain would be at the back of the queue if voters chose to exit the EU.
The EU yesterday gave its official approval of Brexit, taking the last step in its internal procedures before Britain leaves the bloc today.
"The council has adopted, by written procedure, the decision on the conclusion of the withdrawal agreement on behalf of the EU," the European Council, the EU arm that brings together its member countries' governments, said in a statement.
Mr Pompeo yesterday also sought to defuse tension over Britain's decision to allow China's Huawei a role in its communications network, but described the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as the biggest threat of the current era.
London on Tuesday defied the White House by granting the Chinese technology firm a limited role in Britain's 5G network. The US had been lobbying Britain to exclude Huawei on security grounds.
Some had predicted a backlash from the Trump administration during Mr Pompeo's two-day visit to Britain.
But while Mr Pompeo showed no softening in his opposition to Huawei, he was keen to downplay the broader impact.
"When you allow the information of your citizens or the national security information of your citizens to transit a network that the Chinese Communist Party has a legal mandate to obtain, it creates risk," Mr Pompeo told reporters.
"I am very confident that our two nations will find a way to work together to resolve this difference," he said, adding that the Five-Eyes intelligence alliance - Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the US - would remain.
He said he regarded the CCP as "the central threat of our times" and urged the US and its allies to make sure they have the military and technological power to ensure that this century is governed by Western principles.
BLOOMBERG, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, NYTIMES
