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Mike Pompeo arrived in the U.K. on Monday for a two-day visit that will also see the U.S. Secretary of State stop in Denmark.
In the U.K., he will meet with Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to discuss topics including the economic recovery from COVID-19, ongoing U.K.-U.S. free trade negotiations, and issues related to China and Hong Kong.
Here is what to expect.
On China
The U.S. welcomed the U.K.’s announcement in July that it would remove Huawei from its future telecommunications infrastructure.
The U.K. will eliminate Chinese telecoms giant Huawei from its 5G network by 2027, after pressure from Sino-skeptic lawmakers and U.S. politicians.
“We convinced many countries…not to use Huawei,” U.S. President Trump said after the U.K. announced the removal.
Read:U.K. plans to ban Huawei from 5G technology by 2027
A meeting between Pompeo and British lawmakers at foreign policy think tank the Henry Jackson Society could add to pressure on the U.K. government to bring forward Huawei’s removal from the country’s 5G infrastructure.
Pompeo could also pressure Raab and Johnson to adopt a more hawkish stance on China. His meeting with backbench legislators, who are not part of the government, is seen by some as a snub to the Prime Minister.
On trade talks
Trade talks have tripped over the issue of chlorine-washed chicken and hormone-injected beef, both of which are banned in the U.K.
Read:British grocers reject U.S. chlorine-washed chicken as row over welfare standards deepen
The U.S. wants full access to U.K. markets for its farmers, but politicians, businesses, and individuals in the U.K. have promised not to lower the country’s current agricultural standards.
On COVID-19
The U.S. has ordered 300 million doses of British drugmaker AstraZeneca’s developing COVID-19 vaccine for a reported $1.2 billion.
The talks could focus on plans to develop and widely manufacture a vaccine, while the Secretary of State’s spokesperson said talks would focus on “COVID-19 economic recovery plans.”
What else?
The mother of Harry Dunn, the teenager who was killed in a collision with a car driven by Anne Sacoolas, the wife of a U.S. government employee, has called on the U.K. government and Pompeo to make her son a priority in the talks.
Read:U.S. diplomat’s wife identified after fleeing U.K. due to fatal crash
Pompeo previously rejected an extradition request from the U.K. for Sacoolas.
