Chapter 1651 Leader of the Free World

To not say that the foreign minister is just uneducated, individuals have their own personal things, the foreign minister has his own tasks, in fact, the finance minister is not idle, is receiving a visiting Japanese minister of the Ministry of Finance, to discuss the matter of currency diplomacy, obviously for the yen’s fierce appreciation, the Japanese government has been unable to sit still.

Appreciation of the yen for the Japanese is of course a great convenience, but for the Japanese government is not so, for different countries currency purchasing power has different support, or resources or national strength.

But Japan’s national strength is certainly there, but not there, Japan’s national strength can not be realized.

Let the Treasury suggest that talking to the Japanese attracts Japanese investment, and if that doesn’t work, then maybe Britain won’t hold out for Japanese purposes.

The UK isn’t greedy either, it’s just a set up to attract investment, and after giving so much to the US, how can we share some with the UK isn’t it?

In addition to the general economy of the pavilion in the air, Japan in the eyes of Alan Wilson is nothing, powerful industries are not protected, but also talk to Britain what? This kind of wrongdoer not woolgathering would be a pity.

Negotiations on monetary policy, if Japan if not a dime, then the United Kingdom certainly can not stand on the side of Japan, we must know that Germany is also a victim of the Plaza Accord, and now have not opened monetary diplomacy.

At the time the Chancellor of the Exchequer received Japan’s Minister of Finance, Alan Wilson is holding a meeting of the Ministry of Finance to discuss the economic situation in the world today, and came to the very real conclusion that the yen still has room to appreciate, even if it is a joint intervention in the currency market by all countries, but also does not help to stabilize the yen’s steady stream of appreciation.

Square agreement signed at the time, in addition to the yen itself was undervalued, but also in the dollar is strong in the cycle of interest rate hikes, and now that strong cycle has passed, it is not the countries to put a word that the yen’s exchange rate can be able to terminate the yen’s appreciation.

This is a very serious issue, so serious that Japan does not take out a little benefit, the United Kingdom can not help.

Alan Wilson remembers the Louvre agreement is ultimately fruitless, the countries jointly intervene in the foreign exchange market move, also did not achieve the purpose, the yen breaks through one hundred and fifty yen to a dollar after the yen, but also continue to appreciate.

Since we know this result, the supreme authority naturally can not hold too much expectation, Japan’s this wrongdoer is best to immediately concessions, but the United Kingdom to obtain the benefits can not play a role, it is still unknown.

The vast majority of Japanese people, but enjoy the same carnival as the boomers – because the exchange rate changes, their hands of the yen can be exchanged for more U.S. dollars, wealth in a short period of time to achieve a doubling of growth. The appreciation of the yen does not seem to have affected the Japanese economy, which is extremely dependent on exports, thanks to the strength of Japanese industry.

This traditional industry, through the means of depressing profits to gain competitiveness is possible, Japan how to form an impact on Europe, and later how to be South Korea and a large country as the case may be.

“Experts still believe that Japan’s problems are so complex that they cannot be solved by mere intervention. Instead, it’s the Soviet problem that’s a little more important.” Alan Wilson took the opinions of the experts, mainly his own, to 10 Downing Street to indicate to Margaret Thatcher what kind of decision Britain should take.

As for Japan’s request might as well agree to it, agreeing to it does not necessarily have to go through with it, and doing it does not necessarily make it effective, let’s first see what price Japan can offer to buy off Britain.

“Even if it is a buyout, it seems that you also think that you will not help the greatest interests.” Mrs. Thatcher, as if she already knew the answer, named the connotation of this proposal, “But there are also experts who believe that the core driving force behind the appreciation of the yen is the strength of Japanese industry.”

“All the more reason we can’t help.” Alan Wilson said without the slightest hint of embarrassment, “Isn’t it a blasphemy of World War II that a defeated country can ride on Britain’s head? We certainly expect Japan and Germany to prosper, but not more than Britain.”

As for which is more important, Japan or the Soviet Union, neither Margaret Thatcher nor Alan Wilson thought that the two countries were comparable, and clearly the Soviet Union was more important. At least it was still the leader of dozens of countries, while the other one was the American autarky and could not be compared at all.

Mrs. Thatcher also agreed with this view, the Soviet Union issue has always been a top priority, even the Atlanticists can not change the fact that Britain geographically in Europe, so Alan Wilson just think the Atlanticists are funny, in wishful thinking and shouting the special relationship between Britain and the United States, but also can not be removed from the United Kingdom from Europe, this is not bullshit.

Even if we talk about currency issues, the USSR is more important than Japan, and we should know that the exchange rate of the ruble, the problem is not at all smaller than the yen, only the problem is in a different place.

In the Soviet Union’s high welfare policy and the wrong monetary policy under the sway of the actual purchasing value of the ruble has long been disconnected from its surface value of a simple point, that is, the ruble this kind of currency has not so valuable.

At least the exchange rate with other currencies should not be so high, and its current strength is only the Soviet government to hold on to, and this is also the fundamental reason why the ruble in the years after the collapse of the Soviet Union crazy devaluation.

And of course the later story of Maphead’s pension being worth only two dollars is not the real value of the ruble, clearly Russia endured the treatment of a defeated country.

The Cold War is also a war, defeat is the same as to bear the treatment of the defeated country, the value of the ruble of course in the current still have a say.

The so-called ‘socialist camp’ economic and trade system constructed by the Soviet Union is very interesting, it covers not only the Soviet Union’s republics, but also almost all the socialist countries in Eastern Europe, and in the East of North Korea, until now, is still in this system, the Soviet Union and its partners, each other enjoy the most-favored-nation status in trade. The USSR enjoys most-favored-nation (MFN) status for trade with its partner countries.

What about so many countries, naturally, is able to support the value of the ruble, so in the course of this visit to the Soviet Union, Britain also hoped to obtain such treatment, although not necessarily successful, but the dream is still there.

Do not say just hope to get the treatment of trading partners, Allen Wilson before in the conversation with the good Dahl, even want to use the pound sterling settlement of the Soviet Union’s entire system of economic and trade.

In addition to the discussion of the Iran-Iraq war, there is also a Cambodian issue, the Cambodian issue and the United Kingdom has little to do with, but it can not be said that there is no relationship.

Alan Wilson still suggested to focus the main dialogue on the Iran-Iraq war, after all, the Cambodian issue, can let a certain big power and the Soviet Union dialogue, Britain does not have to for this matter, ignore the greater interests.

This may be some use of a major power, but this is diplomacy, mention it is okay, if the Cambodian issue can be resolved, it is naturally the credit of the United Kingdom, if the temporary can not be resolved, it can only mean that a major power is not strong enough, the credit can not be attributed to a major power, is it that the British hegemony of public opinion is to eat shit?

Soon, the Foreign Secretary, who was warming up for Mrs. Thatcher’s visit, came back and said that he had discussed the Iran-Iraq war with the Soviet Union, and the result was good.

And so the warm-up for Margaret Thatcher began, with Prime Minister Thatcher spending a day traveling to Paris to meet with French President Mitterrand, and then hurrying to Bonn for talks with German Chancellor Kohl. Both France and Britain maintain the same position: both want to maintain their nuclear deterrent.

France, Germany, and the United Kingdom share the idea that the agreement on the reduction of medium- and long-range missiles should be followed by negotiations on the reduction of short-range missiles and conventional weapons. The leaders of all three countries agreed that whatever agreement the United States signed with the Soviet Union, it could not bypass its European allies.

Prime Minister Thatcher told newsmen in Bonn: “The talks with President Mitterrand and Chancellor Kohl are an important part of the preparations for my visit to Moscow.”

In recent times, Mrs. Thatcher had already spoken with Italian Prime Minister Clarkesi on similar issues.

To this point, Mrs. Thatcher had communicated her message to the major allies of the West, and then shouldered the burden of these leaders and the consensus reached with them to travel to Moscow unambiguously as the spokesperson for the four nations.

Having united the European countries, the obstacles to this visit to the USSR had largely been removed, and the Soviet side began to warm up for Mrs. Thatcher’s visit, with the Soviet newspaper Pravda then reacting with the hope that Mrs. Thatcher’s visit would strengthen bilateral relations and help to build a climate of international confidence.

The Soviet side also received the list of visitors, and Alexeev couldn’t help but marvel that his mother was right, and that his father had indeed, as his mother had said, found a way to squeeze into the list of visitors.

Unsurprisingly, it was another time for father and son to meet, but this time it was the Culture Tsar who was going to be published, not him, the good old son.

At the same time in London, Alan Wilson has prepared pounds, accurate to go to the Soviet Union to carry out shopping, to say it may be a little embarrassing, the Cabinet Secretary is so calculating, but also ready to pull wool from the Soviet Union.

Two days later on the plane to Moscow, told a random Reuters reporter that she thought the head of the map was a “realist”, “we meet without using diplomatic rhetoric, we talk about substantive issues, so I respect him and he respects me.”

Not far away, Alan Wilson, fingers quickly familiar with the pounds brought, the whole person is fully engaged, the demeanor as if it is ready to visit the red light district in general, Reuters reporter looked to ask the Cabinet Secretary’s views on the visit to the Soviet Union, Alan Wilson gracefully put the bills in the pocket, “in the interests of the country as a criterion. We are all well aware that not only British citizens but the entire free world has great expectations of this visit by the Prime Minister, who has already given his answer on how to defend British leadership.”