Trade on agenda as Trump lands in Scotland
Donald Trump takes questions after landing in Scotland. Photo: Reuters
US President Donald Trump landed in Scotland on Friday for a five-day visit set to mix diplomacy, business and leisure, as a huge UK security operation swung into place amid planned protests near his family-owned golf resorts.
The president, whose mother was born in Scotland, will split his time between two seaside golf courses bearing his name, in Turnberry on the southwestern coast and Aberdeen in the northeast.
Air Force One, carrying the president and White House staff, touched down at Prestwick Airport near Glasgow shortly before 8:30 pm (1930 GMT).
Police officers lined surrounding streets and several hundred curious Scots came out hoping for a glimpse of the US leader as he made his way to Turnberry.
Trump has no public events scheduled for Saturday and is expected to play golf at his picturesque resort, before meeting EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday for trade talks.
Trump is also due to meet UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer during the trip.
"We're going to do a little celebrating together, because we got along very well," Trump told reporters as he left the White House on Friday, calling Starmer "a good guy" doing "a very good job."
He said they would discuss "fine tuning" the bilateral trade deal struck in May, and would "maybe even improve it."
But the unpredictable American leader appeared unwilling to cede to a UK request for reduced steel and aluminium tariffs.
Trump has exempted British exports from blanket 50 percent tariffs on both metals, but the fate of that carve-out remains unclear.
"If I do it for one, I have to do it for all," Trump told reporters, when asked if he had any "wiggle room" for the UK on the issue.
The international outcry over the conflict in Gaza may also be on the agenda, as Starmer faces growing pressure to follow French President Emmanuel Macron and announce that Britain will also recognise a Palestinian state. (AFP)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
4 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
China, US to extend tariff pause at Sweden talks by another 90 days: sources
Beijing and Washington are expected to extend their tariff truce by another three months at trade talks in Stockholm beginning on Monday, according to sources close to the matter on both sides. China and the United States agreed in May to remove most of the heavy tariffs levied on each other's goods for 90 days while continuing trade negotiations. That suspension is set to expire on August 12. During the third round of trade negotiations between the world's two biggest economies, both will expound their views on major sticking points – such as the US' concerns over China's industrial overcapacity – rather than achieve specific breakthroughs, the sources said. One source said that, during the expected 90-day extension, the two nations will commit to not impose additional tariffs on each other, nor escalate the trade war by other means. According to three people familiar with Beijing's position, while the earlier discussions in Geneva and London focused on 'de-escalation', in the latest meeting the Chinese delegation will also press Trump's trade team on fentanyl-related tariffs.
South China Morning Post
4 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
‘Global approach' to AI regulation urgently needed, UN tech chief says
The world urgently needs to find a global approach to regulating artificial intelligence, the United Nations' top tech chief said this week, warning that fragmentation could deepen risks and inequalities. Doreen Bogdan-Martin, head of the UN's International Telecommunications Union (ITU) agency, said she hoped that AI 'can actually benefit humanity.' But as concerns mount over the risks posed by the fast-moving technology – including fears of mass job losses, the spread of deepfakes and disinformation, and society's fabric fraying – she insisted that regulation was key. 'There's an urgency to try to get … the right framework in place,' she said, stressing the need for 'a global approach.' Her comments came after US President Donald Trump this week unveiled an aggressive, low-regulation strategy aimed at ensuring the United States stays ahead of China on AI. Among more than 90 proposals, Trump's plan calls for sweeping deregulation, with the administration promising to 'remove red tape and onerous regulation' that could hinder private sector AI development.
RTHK
5 hours ago
- RTHK
Thailand and Cambodia to hold peace talks
Thailand and Cambodia to hold peace talks Displaced people are seen inside a shelter in Sisaket province, Thailand. Photo: Reuters Thailand and Cambodia's leaders will meet in Malaysia for peace talks on Monday, the Thai government said, as clashes continued for a fourth day in a deadly border dispute. At least 34 people have been killed and more than 200,000 displaced as Thailand and Cambodia, both popular tourist destinations, fight over a smattering of contested border temples. Bangkok announced on Sunday that acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai and Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet will meet in Kuala Lumpur for talks mediated by Malaysian leader Anwar Ibrahim, who chairs the Asean regional bloc of which Thailand and Cambodia are members. Cambodia has not commented on the planned talks, which are due to begin at 3.00pm local time. US President Donald Trump, who spoke to both leaders late on Saturday, said they had agreed to "quickly work out" a ceasefire. Trump has threatened both nations with eye-watering levies in his global tariff blitz unless they agree to independent trade deals. "When all is done, and Peace is at hand, I look forward to concluding our Trading Agreements with both!" he wrote on social media. Fresh artillery clashes erupted on Sunday morning near two long-contested ancient temples in the frontier region between northern Cambodia and northeast Thailand which has seen the bulk of the fighting. (AFP)
