LONDON: US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin suggested on Saturday that Britain and America would be able to conclude a trade deal this year, despite lingering disagreements on a digital services tax and whether to allow Chinese tech giant Huawei to build aspects of a new high-speed mobile network.

Britain leaves European Union in less than a week, severing decades of friction-less trade with a market of 650 million. Replacing those trade ties with other post-Brexit pacts is considered critical for the nation’s economy and future.

I think the timing is important,” Mnuchin told an audience at the Chatham House think tank. You know, we’re focused on trying to get this done this year because we think it’s important to both of us.

Mnuchin stopped in the UK following the four-day World Economic Forum summit in Davos, Switzerland. He held talks with UK Treasury chief Sajid Javid in both Davos and again in London on Saturday.

Published in Dawn, January 26th, 2020