Free Trade and Trade Protectionism : US-China Relations and Post Brexit Impact on UK-China Relations

On the 2nd October 2016, the United Kingdom's Prime Minister, Theresa May, announced at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham, that Article 50 – the formal process for leaving the European Union, would be triggered by the end of March 2017. This in effect, should facilitate negotiation procedures involved during the two-year period following the triggering of the Article – resulting in the UK leaving the EU by the end of Summer 2019. The Prime Minister also announced that the EU Repeal Bill – which would facilitate the process of making the UK independent again, was to be introduced during the Queen's Speech. The Repeal of the 1972 Act, it was added, should however, take place after the UK leaves the EU.This article explores the impact increased protectionist measures could have on US-China relations – as well as resulting consequences and dynamics for relations with the United Kingdom. This particularly being the case, in view of recent Brexit results, and the emphasis re-iterated by the UK that it would adopt a less protectionist stance in its bid to forge new relations and strategic partnerships with global partners.(The central theme of this paper – as with other papers published by the author in relation to Free Trade Agreements is namely: That Free Trade Agreements, on their own, are intended to be beneficial to any economy. It ceases to be beneficial for a number of reasons, most notably, when they have been badly negotiated and lacking of essential provisions.Therefore, there should be every opportunity to renegotiate badly negotiated Free Trade Agreements which may have been attributed to previous or present administrations – as well as ensuring that future agreements are not lacking when it comes to essential provisions)