Kinshasa , April 9th, 2025 (CPA) – The British Minister in charge of finance has told the House of Commons on Tuesday that her country is preparing to act decisively in the wake of the customs duties imposed by the United States of America in the area of trade, the international media has reported. ‘The UK Government recognizes that our response to global change cannot be to watch and wait, but rather to act decisively, to make the right decisions in our national interest,’ has said Rachel Reeves, UK Minister in charge of finances. The Chancellor of the Exchequer has stressed that « a trade war is in nobody’s interest. Nothing can be ruled out » in the UK’s negotiations with the United States on tariffs. ‘While 10% tariffs are lower than many countries in the world, and we welcome that, the additional tariffs on cars, steel and potentially life sciences represent a real challenge for our country, as these are some of our biggest export markets’. ‘As for ’buying British‘, I think everyone will make their own decisions’, she has added, while warning against a ‘trade war that would lead Britain to turn in on itself’. If ‘every country in the world decided to buy only products made in their own country, that would not be a good solution’, she has continued.
Finland and Sweden call for implementation of the EU-Mercosur agreement
In addition, the Finnish Minister in charge of foreign affairs, Elina Valtonen, has announced on Tuesday that her government was “in favour of opening new trade channels and examining new free trade agreements with other parts of the world”, believing that “the European Union (EU) is doing a fantastic job in opening up new negotiations”. ‘We must also fully implement the Mercosur free trade agreement, which has just been negotiated’, she has added at a press conference with her Swedish counterpart, Maria Malmer Stenergard. For her part, the Swedish minister has said she ‘completely agreed’ with Elina Valtonen’s comments. Mercosur and the EU concluded negotiations on a free trade agreement last December, to which several European countries are opposed. ACP/