Britain and America's shared economic interests

This website tends to major on the shared geopolitical interests of Britain and America.  But economic factors also bind our nations together; in addition to very important shared interests in defence and intelligence.

Here are some relevant facts from the website of Britain's Washington Embassy:

• "The US is overwhelmingly the UK's biggest foreign direct investment partner and vice-versa. The UK has more investment in the US than any other single country, with total assets in 2004 valued at $252 billion. The US is the single largest investor in the UK, with net assets worth over $179 billion (also in 2004);
• US investment flows to the UK in 2004, at $23 billion, accounted for approximately 25% of total US investment in the European Union as a whole that year;
• More than 7,000 British companies have established offices in the US More than 5,000 US companies are based in the UK.
• Affiliate employment between the U.S. and the UK provided jobs for more than 1 million workers in both the UK and the U.S. in 2001;
• Sales from U.S. affiliate companies in the UK alone exceeded aggregate sales in Latin America in 2002;
• In 2004, U.S. exports to the UK totalled about $36 billion, while U.S. imports from the UK stood at roughly $46 billion."

Comments

[Toryboy]

This should remind all those people who want us to disassociate with America and get closer to europe that America is our number one ally in the world and we are theirs. To break that partnership now would not only be folly in geopolitical terms but also in economic terms. Lets hope this will go a small step in making people realise how important the US and Britain are to each other and to the world.

[Adam in London]

The US is important to the UK. But the UK is not that important to the US.

[S Baker]

"The US is important to the UK. But the UK is not that important to the US." Hmmm, you really think so? I hope you are just thinking out loud. We are much stronger together than we are separated!

[Denise]

Adam, what makes you say that? I'm in the US and I don't feel that way. Neither do a lot of people.

[Austin]

The world would become much more dangerous and uncivilized without the Anglo-American alliance.