BusinessMirror

UK and Australia commit to free trade negotiatio­ns

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CANBERRA, Australia—British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab made his first overseas trip since Brexit on Thursday to faraway Australia, where he reaffirmed Britain’s desire for a free trade deal and gave assurances that the countries’ differing views on Chinese tech giant Huawei would not stand in the way of closer relations.

Raab’s first stop was the capital Canberra on a trip that will also take him to Japan as well as former British colonies Malaysia and Singapore.

Both Raab and Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne reaffirmed their commitment to start negotiatio­ns on a bilateral free trade deal as soon as possible. They also agreed to find opportunit­ies for engagement in the Indo-Pacific region.

“We’ve recommitte­d today to launching negotiatio­ns on an ambitious free trade agreement between our countries as soon possible,” Raab said.

“Australia would hopefully be part of that first wave of high-priority deals that we’re pursuing,” he added.

Raab said he also discussed with Payne Britain’s decision this week to let Huawei have a limited role supplying new high-speed network equipment to wireless carriers.

Britain’s decision is the first by a major US ally in Europe, and follows intense lobbying from the Trump administra­tion as the US vies with China for technologi­cal dominance.

Australia angered China, it biggest trading partner, by banning Huawei on security grounds from involvemen­t in its national broadband network and the rollout of new 5G networks.

Raab assured Payne that Britain’s decision would not affect its intelligen­ce-sharing relationsh­ip with Australia, the United States, Canada and New Zealand, which form the Five Eyes partnershi­p.

“We were absolutely clear and looked at it very clearly and there is nothing in the decision that we took that would inhibit or disrupt in any way whatsoever the Five Eyes intelligen­ce sharing and there’s nothing in the approach that we are taking that would have an impact on, for example, the sharing of sensitive data,” Raab said.

Payne said she was confident Australia could strike a free trade deal with Britain.

“We are...at opposite ends of the world, yet we are very ready and able to grab a new era of opportunit­y for enhanced strategic and economic cooperatio­n,” Payne said. “We also look forward to an early, comprehens­ive and ambitious free trade agreement because we both believe in rules-based markets for trade and investment,” she added.

Australia also accepted Britain’s offer for cooperatio­n between the countries’ space agencies so that high-resolution satellite imaging could help Australia prepare and respond to wildfires.

An unpreceden­ted wildfire season has killed at least 33 people and destroyed more than 3,000 homes since September.

BAGHDAD—A new watchtower rose over an American military base in northern Iraq, and cranes lifted hefty slabs of concrete to reinforce the barricades in beefed-up protection­s. The danger, soldiers there said, came not from the constellat­ion of militant sleeper cells embedded in the landscape but further afield in Iran.

US forces in Iraq have been on guard for retaliatio­n by Iran or its Shiite militias allies since the US killed Iran’s top general in Iraq with an airstrike in Baghdad last month. The January 3 strike also fueled a wave of outrage among Iraq’s Shiite leadership and intensifie­d demands that American troops leave the country.

Since then, Iraqi leaders have scaled back the saber-rattling rhetoric. But behind closed doors, the bitterness has poisoned the partnershi­p. The government told the Iraqi military not to seek US help in operations fighting the Islamic State group, two senior Iraqi military officials told The Associated Press—a sign that authoritie­s are serious about rethinking the strategic relationsh­ip.

At stake are vital US-provided weapons, military technologi­es and aircraft that have been key in countering the threat of Islamic State group militants trying to make a comeback in northern and western Iraq. The prospect of losing that help is one reason why Iraqi politician­s have cooled their demands for American forces to go immediatel­y. Senior Iraqi military officials oppose a withdrawal.

“To us the American presence is like the electricit­y network in a house,” said a brigadier general stationed in western Iraq, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to media. “If the light is turned off the whole place goes dark.”

In the wake of the US strike that killed Iran’s Gen. Qassem Soleimani and a senior Iraqi militia commander, Iraq’s parliament passed a non-binding resolution demanding the government force out the Americans. Tens of thousands marched in an anti-US rally inspired by a radical cleric, while Iraq’s outgoing premier, Adel Abdul-Mahdi, openly stated that the troops must go.

American forces had to halt joint operations with Iraqi military against IS after the strike, a pause that would last for three weeks. In the interim, the US troops fortified bases against potential retaliatio­n by Iran or Iraqi Shiite militias—like the new tower and beefed-up barricades at a base visited recently by the AP in the northern Iraqi city of Irbil.

About 5,200 US soldiers are stationed in Iraqi bases to support local troops fighting IS militants, part of a larger internatio­nal coalition invited by the Iraqi government in 2014.

But since then, Western officials say Iraqi authoritie­s have taken no concrete measures to hasten a withdrawal plan. “I’d say with virtually all of the Shiite political party leaders there’s been behind closed doors and in private meetings a much more thoughtful approach on how they deal with this and a desire on their part to maintain a relationsh­ip and a coalition partnershi­p that they regard as essential for Iraq,” said a US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulation­s.

In a Cabinet session, Abdul-Mahdi said it was up to the next government to see through Parliament’s resolution. Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Allawi, a former communicat­ions minister, has not made his policy known.

Western diplomats were told that Iraq had formed a committee to study the issue of America’s troop presence in Iraq, but two Iraqi officials said there was no official sign off from Abdul-Mahdi formally creating such a committee. James Jeffrey, special envoy for the global coalition to defeat IS, said, speaking of the committee, “there has not been any real engagement,” in remarks to reporters in Washington on January 23. Washington has responded to Iraq’s requests to initiate troop withdrawal­s with blunt refusal, even threatenin­g sanctions that could cripple Iraq’s economy.

Instead of directly pushing for US withdrawal, Iraq’s government appears to be quietly distancing itself on the ground. Though the US announced joint operations against IS had resumed, Iraq has been unclear. The Iraqi military announced the end of the pause on January 30, but a military spokesman rescinded the claim in remarks to state television. It was not followed up with a clarificat­ion. On at least two occasions in January, US officials said they expected the pause would be lifted imminently.

Two Iraqi military officials and a militia commander said this week that the government told its military not to seek assistance from the US-led coalition in anti-IS operations and to minimize cooperatio­n. The three spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the press.

“Until now, we have not asked the Americans to provide assistance, we rely on our capabiliti­es to pursue IS elements. The presence of the Americans in the joint operations is only formal,” a senior military intelligen­ce official told The Associated Press.

Another of the officials, a commander in Iraq’s elite US-trained Counter-Terrorism Services in western Anbar province, said some training continues, but “as for military operations and carrying out operations, there is no support.”

No coalition airstrikes have been carried out against IS since the killing of Soleimani, said coalition spokesman Myles Caggins. In contrast, 45 strikes were conducted in Iraq in October and November. “The Iraqis have not requested assistance with airstrikes in recent weeks while our operations are paused,” Caggins said.

Gracing the Hyundai Baguio City launch were (from left) Hyundai Baguio City Dealer Principal Archimedes J. Go, Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc. (HARI) President & CEO Maria Fe Perez-Agudo, Speaker of the House of Representa­tives Hon. Alan Peter S. Cayetano, Baguio City Representa­tive Hon. Marquez O. Go, HARI Chairman Emeritus Richard L. Lee, and Grit Motors Corporatio­n President Soledad Go.

ON the Eve of Chinese New Year, Hyundai, the No. 1 Korean automotive brand in the Philippine­s, unveiled Hyundai Baguio City, its first-ever full-service passenger car (PC) dealership in the Cordillera Administra­tive Region (CAR).

The Summer Capital of the Philippine­s is an acknowledg­ed center of tourism, business, commerce, and education in Northern Luzon. Recently, Baguio City bagged the Associatio­n of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Clean Tourist City award for

outstandin­g performanc­e in its conservati­on and beautifica­tion campaign. It was also honored as a UNESCO Creative City under the Crafts and Folk Arts category in 2017.

“We start the year and the new decade strong by proudly hoisting the Hyundai flag in Baguio City, fortifying our growing Hyundai dealership network and reiteratin­g that Hyundai continues to reach out to provide Filipinos better automotive products, better after-sales services, and ultimately, better journeys,” said Hyundai

Asia Resources, Inc. (HARI) President and CEO Ma. Fe Perez Agudo,

Hyundai Baguio City, managed by Grit Motors Corporatio­n, takes pride in its being a pioneer Hyundai PC dealership in CAR. Said Dealer Principal Archimedes Go, “Grit is our main message. This is what Hyundai Baguio stands for. Blessed with supportive family, friends, and colleagues, we shall work with grit and grace, excellence and honesty, to make Hyundai No. 1 in Baguio.”

Hyundai Baguio City complies with Global Dealership Space Identity (GDSI) standards, the modern design philosophy of Hyundai Motor Company (HMC) that mirrors and complement­s its top-performing vehicles, such as the Reina, Accent, Kona, Tucson, Grand Starex, and Santa Fe.

Hyundai Baguio City is part of HARI’s aggressive PC and Commercial Vehicle (CV) network expansion into the country’s high growth corridors. Last 2019, HARI sold 33,763 units (full-year figures) and generated 2.9% growth in December versus the same month in 2018, enabling it to maintain its position in the market as one of the top automotive brands in the Philippine market.

Customers can now visit Hyundai Baguio City which is located along C. M. Recto St., Baguio City.

 ?? LUkAS CoCH/Pool PHoTo vIA AP ?? BriTain’S Foreign Secretary Dominic raab (left) and australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne pose for photograph­s ahead of a bilateral meeting at Parliament House in Canberra on Thursday, February 6, 2020.
LUkAS CoCH/Pool PHoTo vIA AP BriTain’S Foreign Secretary Dominic raab (left) and australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne pose for photograph­s ahead of a bilateral meeting at Parliament House in Canberra on Thursday, February 6, 2020.
 ??  ?? PHILIPPINE INTERNATIO­NAL FLOWER SHOW 2020.
PHILIPPINE INTERNATIO­NAL FLOWER SHOW 2020.

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