Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe
The U.K. would be welcomed into the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) “with open arms” after Brexit, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said.
Abe's comments to Financial Times came just before the crucial few weeks that will shape a Brexit deal between the U.K. and the EU.
He said Britain would lose its role as a gateway to the EU following Brexit, but would still remain a country “equipped with global strength”, but also warned the negotiating sides to use “wisdom” to avoid a no-deal scenario.
“I hope that both sides can contribute their wisdom and at least avoid a so-called disorderly Brexit,” Abe said.
“I truly hope that the negative impact of Brexit to the global economy, including Japanese businesses, will be minimised,” he added.
The TPP has 11 members including Japan, Canada, Australia, Malaysia and Mexico.
Brexit talks have stalled after the EU rejected British Prime Minister Theresa May’s Chequers deal in September during an informal summit held in Salzburg.
Prime Minister Theresa May appealed to wavering British voters on Sunday ahead of a defining few months in which she hopes to secure a Brexit deal and face down opponents who say her EU exit plan is too hard, too soft, or just plain wrong.May, tasked with delivering Britain's exit from the European Union after a 2016 referendum which continues to divide the country, must find a way through deadlocked talks in Brussels and then convince a sceptical parliament to back the outcome.On Sunday she launched an unusual plea for the backing of centre-ground voters who had previously backed the Labour Party but felt alienated by a shift to the left under current Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn."I want voters who may previously have thought of themselves as Labour supporters to look at my government afresh. They will find a decent, moderate and patriotic programme that is worthy of their support," May wrote in an article for the Observer newspaper.Hot off the heels of a speech at her annual conference which polls showed was well received, May sought to reinforce her message that the end of over eight years of austerity was in sight, and that she was capable of delivering reform beyond Brexit.Germany, Britain sign defence cooperation agreement amid Brexit talksDutch to reconsider scrapping dividend tax after Unilever U-turnUnilever backs down on Dutch HQ move after British investor revoltLabour called her message on austerity a con and said she was making "desperate pleas in an attempt to revive her failing administration".It looks increasingly likely May will have to rely on the support of so-called 'moderate' Labour lawmakers to win parliamentary approval for whatever Brexit deal she is able to strike with the EU.On Sunday, Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon said her 35 lawmakers would likely vote against the deal, and could instead support a second public vote on the terms of Britain's EU exit.Labour's left-wing leadership have promised to vote against May's deal unless it meets their tests - which it currently is unlikely to do.The 10 votes of the Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party which May relies on to prop up her minority government are also in doubt, depending on what kind of compromise May has to strike in Brussels to resolve issues over the Irish border.Critics within May's own party, among them former foreign minister Boris Johnson, want her to ditch the current Brexit plan. However the Sunday Telegraph reported that a sizeable eurosceptic faction could be willing to drop some of their objections to secure a deal.If May fails to win a vote in parliament, Britain faces an unmanaged exit from the bloc, which businesses and economists fear could badly damage the economy.The outgoing chief executive of insurance market Lloyd's of London, Inga Beale, said her firm is accelerating Brexit contingency plans to transfer contracts to a Brussels subsidiary as she feel Britain is getting closer to leaving the EU without a deal.But Irish foreign minister Simon Coveney said the possible negative consequences for Britain, Ireland and other EU countries meant he thought the chances of securing a deal with the EU were "good".EU's Tusk says Brexit deal possible by end of 2018EU's Juncker confident of Brexit accord, no-deal not an optionTariff deal with US not yet even in 'pre-work' stage: EU trade chief
UK PM May seeks support as others draw Brexit battle lines
The U.K. is “not afraid” to leave the EU “with no deal if it has to,” May said last week.
Speaking at the Conservative Party autumn conference, May said leaving the bloc with no deal would be tough and difficult at first with tariffs imposed, however, the U.K. would eventually prosper.
Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab also accused the EU of not matching Britain's efforts in his speech, demanding “more respect” from the bloc in Brexit talks.
The U.K. and EU negotiators will meet in mid-October and try to ink a deal on sticky issues such as the future of the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, citizens’ rights, and future trade relations between the sides.
An emergency Brexit summit will be called if the parties progress on a possible deal, according to EU leaders.
The U.K. is set to leave the EU on March 29, 2019.
Morocco has withdrawn from the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) in Japan in protest of the participation of the Polisario Front.The official Moroccan news agency, citing an unnamed source, said members of the Polisario delegation had obtained African Union accreditation cards to attend the meeting.The agency said the Moroccan delegation had walked out of the meeting in protest of their participation.Japan does not recognize Polisario Front as a state.“Even if a group which claims itself as a state which Japan does not recognize was sitting in this room, this fact does not mean that Japan, in any way, implicitly or explicitly recognize it as a state,” Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono told the meeting.Opened in Tokyo on Friday, the two-day ministerial meeting was co-organized by the Japanese government in cooperation with the UN, UN Development Program (UNDP), the World Bank, and the African Union Commission (AUC).Western Sahara – a large territory in southern Morocco – has been the subject of dispute between Rabat and the Polisario Front for more than four decades.After years of conflict, the two parties signed a UN-backed cease-fire in 1991.The Polisario, meanwhile, has long called for a popular referendum in Western Sahara to decide the region’s political fate.Pompeo in Tokyo for talks ahead of Pyongyang visitJapan to skip naval event after S.Korea protests over 'Rising Sun' flag
Rabat leaves Japan-hosted TICAD meeting over Polisario