PM Abe hopes to have basic free trade deal reached with EU next month TOKYO - Japan wants to hold informal free trade talks with the United Kingdom as it also works to sign a deal with the European Union, a report said on Sunday. Tokyo's moves aim to minimize Brexit's impact on Japanese companies as the UK negotiates its exit from the EU, the business daily Nikkei reported. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he wants to reach a basic free trade agreement with the EU next month. More than 1,000 Japanese companies operate in Britain, employing some 140,000 people in the country, while Japan's direct investment in the UK has topped 10 trillion yen ($96 billion) to date. Japanese officials have already warned businesses with European headquarters based in Britain that they may have to relocate to continental Europe after a final deal is signed between London and the EU. Japan's major automakers have so far backed the British economy, with Toyota announcing an investment in a car assembly plant while Nissan gave the green light to new investments at its plant in northeast England. Japan is planning to start informal talks with the UK while it remains in the EU, but will wait until the country has left the bloc before launching formal bilateral negotiations, the Nikkei report said, without citing sources. "As (the UK) is not allowed to launch formal negotiations with a third country under the EU rules, the Japanese and British governments will prepare (informal) talks behind the scenes," it said. Japan does not currently have a trade deal with the EU but is locked in long-running negotiations with the bloc. On Saturday, Abe said he is aiming to reach a Japan-EU free trade deal during his visit to Germany to attend a Group of 20 summit. "I hope to hold a summit meeting with the EU and reach a basic agreement there," he said. "The Japan-EU Economic Partnership Agreement will be a model for 21st century economic order," said Abe. He added that he hoped the EU deal would provide the same stability promised by the enormous Trans-Pacific Partnership pact. US President Donald Trump has pulled out of the TPP, effectively putting the deal on hold. The UK voted to end its four-decade membership of the 28-nation bloc in a referendum last year. Agence France-presse (China Daily 06/26/2017 page11) motivational bracelets for athleteswristband sports1 inch wide rubber bandscustom made rubber bracelets
Driven simply by passion, hobbyists can spend hours and hours building something that could leave us speechless. Here are five enthusiasts who have created things that are both technically challenging and physically demanding. Guo Changhai presents a model of Chinese Navy vessel made by himself in Rizhao, East China's Shandong province, Sept 11, 2017. The 60-year-old had been a ship captain for 27 years. Fond of making vessel models, he has successfully made two guided missile destroyers, four cruisers and one missile destroyer, which won him fame on internet. [Photo/IC] Guo Changhai does a simulation experiment of gunfire on a military vessel model at his home in Rizhou, East China's Shandong province, Nov 6, 2013. [Photo/IC] Aircraft hobbyists Wan Li (center), Gu Chunlin (right) and Huang Aibo (left), pose with the life-size model of the PLA's J-20 stealth fighter aircraft built by themselves at a workshop in Wuhan city, Central China's Hubei province, Sept 10, 2017. According to Wan, they began building the model in June last year and spent 200,000 yuan ($30,612) on it. [Photo/IC] An aerial view of the life-size model of the J-20 stealth fighter built by the three hobbyists at a workshop in Wuhan city, Central China's Hubei province, Sept 8, 017. [Photo/IC] One of the homemade electric sports cars Xing Long 2 built by car enthusiast Chen Yinxi is pictured at the workshop of his family factory in Haikou city, South China's Hainan province, July 12, 2017. He has spent over 5 months in designing and making the car. [Photo/IC] The homemade electric sports car Xing Long 1 built by car enthusiast Chen Yinxi is on display during the 2017 Hainan International Automotive Industry Exhibition in Haikou city, South China's Hainan province, July 13, 2017. [Photo/IC] The homemade electric sports car Xing Long 1 built by car enthusiast Chen Yinxi is on display during the 2017 Hainan International Automotive Industry Exhibition in Haikou city, South China's Hainan province, July 13, 2017. [Photo/IC] An F1 racing car undergoes testing on the campus of Changchun University, Northeast China's Jilin province, Sept 12, 2017. Named FCC01, it was built by 38 college students under guidance of three teachers after 10 months of labor. Its top speed is 140 km/h. It's assembled with 1,985 components, 1,700 of which are handmade by the team. The project cost them 500,000 yuan. [Photo/VCG] Three of the inventors assemble the F1 racing car in Changchun University, Northeast China's Jilin province. [Photo/VCG] Yan Chaoming rides a swimming dragon on a river in Southwest China's Chongqing, June 10, 2017. Yan conducted 30 tests in five years and spent over 10,000 yuan in making it with recycled plastic. The dragon is 8 meters long and can be controlled via remote control. [Photo/IC] The dragon made by Yan swims in a river in Southwest China's Chongqing, June 10, 2017. [Photo/IC]
