Malaysia’s Mahathir calls for palm oil trade deal with the UK
'We hope to avoid a trade war with Europe. But if one transpires, that doesn't mean the UK has to get caught in the crossfire,' the prime minister said.
Malaysia's prime minister Mahathir Mohamad on Monday urged the United Kingdom (UK) to work out a trade deal on palm oil with Southeast Asian nations once it leaves the European Union (EU) on October 31.
‘A fresh attitude toward palm oil, unencumbered by influential special-interest groups, could lead to even better trade terms between the UK and the region than it currently enjoys,’ said Malaysia prime minister Dr Mahathir in an opinion piece for Bloomberg.
‘We hope to avoid a trade war with Europe. But if one transpires, that doesn't mean the UK has to get caught in the crossfire,’ he added.
Earlier this year, the European Commission had announced plans to increase its use of renewable energy sources by 2030 and said it will, when considering a renewable product, take into account its impact on deforestation.
The announcement threatens the consumption of palm oil in that region.
In April, Malaysian and Indonesian leaders signed a joint letter to object to the European Union’s plans to phase out the use of palm oil in renewable fuel.
Both Malaysia and Indonesia supply a combined 85% of the world’s palm oil.
This information has been prepared by IG, a trading name of IG Markets Limited. In addition to the disclaimer below, the material on this page does not contain a record of our trading prices, or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instrument. IG accepts no responsibility for any use that may be made of these comments and for any consequences that result. No representation or warranty is given as to the accuracy or completeness of this information. Consequently any person acting on it does so entirely at their own risk. Any research provided does not have regard to the specific investment objectives, financial situation and needs of any specific person who may receive it. It has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such is considered to be a marketing communication. Although we are not specifically constrained from dealing ahead of our recommendations we do not seek to take advantage of them before they are provided to our clients.
Speculate on commodities
Trade commodity futures, as well as 27 commodity markets with no fixed expiries.
- Wide range of popular and niche metals, energies and softs
- Spreads from 0.3 pts on Spot Gold, 2 pts on Spot Silver and 2.8 pts on Oil
- View continuous charting, backdated for up to five years
Live prices on most popular markets
- Forex
- Shares
- Indices