US Confronts the UK: A Crucial Agreement for London Is Suspended
American and British flags. Photo.
According to the Financial Times, the United States has suspended the implementation of a technology agreement with the UK.
The agreement, signed in September, aims to promote cooperation between the two countries in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, and nuclear energy. However, UK officials have confirmed to the Financial Times that the US "has suspended the implementation of the agreement as of last week."
The media noted that this move by Washington is related to the slow progress in US-UK trade negotiations. The Financial Times recalled that the US has long wanted the UK to recognize its standards in the fields of food and agricultural products. Since May, when both sides reached an agreement to ease the toughest tariffs imposed by former US President Donald Trump on UK goods, bilateral trade negotiations have been underway. Sources familiar with the negotiation process revealed that US officials have become increasingly disappointed with the UK's reluctance to address so-called non-tariff barriers, which include regulations and rules related to the sale of food and industrial products.
It should be noted that the UK is the most important ally of the US in Europe. The technology agreement signed in September was originally planned to see companies such as Microsoft, Nvidia, Google, and the Open AI Research Center invest approximately $4.2 billion in the UK economy. According to the agreement, the UK is expected to acquire 120,000 Nvidia graphics processing units and establish the largest such processor cluster in Europe by the end of 2026.
Original: toutiao.com/article/7584401219151266330/
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