UK Prime Minister Theresa May is going to face tough challenges on her Brexit Plan and even her political survival this week. The Brexit Taxation (Cross-Border Trade) Bill will return to the Commons today. Hard-line Brexiteers are planning to show their strength in support with new amendments, which May is expected to defend. For now it’s unlikely for May to be defeated on the amendments. But the debates and vote could reveal the extend of objections to the compromised Brexit plan made at the Chequers. Then the Brexit Trade Bill will come to the commons for third reading on Tuesday. Wednesday is seen as an informal deadline to hold a no-confidence vote in May or there won’t be enough time before parliament breaks up for the summer.
Ex-Brexit Minister David Davis blasted May’s plan in an article in the Sunday Times, saying it was an “astonishingly dishonest claim” to said there is no worked-out alternative. And he warned that “be in no doubt: under the government’s proposal our fingers would still be caught in this mangle and the EU would use it ruthlessly to punish us for leaving and handicap our future competitiveness.”
EU and China issued joint statement supporting WTO, against protectionism and committing to Iran deal
EU and China issued a joint statement reaffirming their “commitment to deepening their partnership for peace, growth, reform and civilisation, based on the principles of mutual respect, trust, equality and mutual benefit, by comprehensively implementing the EU-China 2020 Strategic Agenda for Cooperation”. The statement is released after meeting of European Council President Donald Tusk, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in Beijing.
In the statement, it’s noted that both sides are “strongly committed to fostering an open world economy, improving trade and investment liberalisation and facilitation, resisting protectionism and unilateralism”. And, they “firmly supported the rules-based, transparent, non-discriminatory, open and inclusive multilateral trading system with the WTO as its core”. At the same time, they pledged to work on reform of the WTO and “establish a joint working group on WTO reform, chaired at Vice-Ministerial level, to this end.”.
The EU “took note of China’s recent commitments to improving market access and the investment environment, strengthening intellectual property rights and expanding imports, and looks forward to their full implementation as well as further measures”. Both sides pledged to ensure “a level playing field and mutually beneficial cooperation in bilateral trade and investment”. “Ongoing Investment Agreement negotiations” are seen as a “top priority”. And, they agreed to “accelerate the negotiation of the Agreement on the Cooperation on, and Protection of, Geographical Indications” and hoped to conclude it by next meeting on July 25-27.
Both sides also recalled that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) Iran nuclear deal is a “key element of the global non-proliferation architecture and a significant diplomatic achievement endorsed unanimously by the UN Security Council in its Resolution 2231.” And the “reaffirm their commitment to the continued, full and effective implementation of the JCPOA.”
Full statement.