Beyond being geographically convenient, UK government sources suggest that Britain is geopolitically in the right place right now to act as bridge and facilitator.
Sky News understands that the Trump administration approached the UK government to ask if it would host round two of the US-China trade talks. This is a useful ‘diplo-win’ for the UK.
The first round was held in Geneva last month. News of that happening came as a surprise. The Chinese and the Americans were in the midst of a Trump-instigated trade war. President Trump was en route to Saudi Arabia and suddenly we got word of talks in Switzerland.
They went surprisingly well. US treasury secretary Scott Bessent and his Chinese counterpart He Lifeng, met face-to-face and agreed to suspend most tariffs for 90 days.
But two weeks later, the Trump administration accused Beijing of breaking the agreements reached in Geneva.
