On July 16th local time,
it was reported from the British Prime Minister’s Office that British Prime Minister Kier Starmer will welcome German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to the UK for his first official visit on the 17th in London.
Both sides will hold a high-level meeting,
and will sign the first “UK-Germany Bilateral Friendship and Cooperation Treaty”.
The treaty covers multiple key areas including security, defense, immigration, economy and trade, with significant breakthroughs particularly in defense cooperation.
The leaders of both countries will announce further deepening of collaboration in the field of high-end defense equipment, and promote the joint export of advanced weapon systems such as “Boxer” armored vehicles and “Typhoon” fighter aircraft.
According to the agreement, the UK and Germany will jointly carry out global export promotion plans,
promote the entry of jointly produced equipment into third-party markets,
and jointly develop a new “long-range precision strike capability” system in the next ten years.
With a range exceeding 2000 kilometers, this system will be one of the most advanced long-range strike weapons in British history, and will play an important role in enhancing NATO’s deterrence and strengthening European security in the future. The UK government stated that this capability will not only significantly enhance the UK’s domestic defense capabilities, but also bring huge investment and technological progress to the European defense industry, promoting deep integration of the industrial chain.
In addition, both the UK and Germany will also reach important consensuses on combating illegal immigration and strengthening law enforcement cooperation. (By Chen Lincong, Central Station)