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Boris Johnson, the former foreign secretary and London mayor, was elected to lead the United Kingdom's ruling Conservative Party last week, formally taking over as prime minister following Theresa May's departure. US President Donald Trump tweeted his congratulations and said, "He will be great." Since Johnson and Trump share similarities in origin and style, will the two leaders make the UK-US "special relationship," which was first coined by former British prime minister Winston Churchill, even closer? 

Personal relationship between leaders plays a significant role in international relations. Trump and Johnson have many similarities to develop close personal relationship: Both are from the upper class, favor of Churchill, and straightforward to speak their mind. 

In terms of political issues, both Trump and Johnson share similar views on Brexit, the EU and enjoy promoting extremist and nationalist ideas. 

Johnson and Trump often complement each other. Trump has praised Johnson on several occasions. Some media have labeled Johnson as Britain's Trump, which Trump views as a form of praise. Compared with May, Johnson cares more about UK-US relations and has offered more commendation to Trump. 

After the incident in which Britain's former ambassador to the US Kim Darroch called the Trump administration "clumsy" and "inept," Johnson took the opportunity to criticize Darroch while flattering Trump.

During the early stages of Johnson's tenure, he will need improved UK-US relations for the sake of his leadership. The future following Brexit is pinned on UK's core political agenda. The British people in general and political elites in particular are concerned about the economic stability and UK's international status after Brexit. 

Others like Johnson, who support a hard Brexit, will continue to help build close UK-US relations and reach trade agreements. By doing so, they aim to make up for economic losses, international influence brought by Brexit and create a diplomacy blueprint in the post-Brexit era. 

Meanwhile, forging a stronger UK-US relationship will raise the UK's position in European security affairs under the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's framework and stabilize Johnson's internal leadership.

The US has shown greater initiative in today's UK-US relations. Since the Brexit referendum in 2016, UK's global status, image, and future development have not been optimistic. Consequently, Trump may not offer preferential treatment for the UK based on how he treats other countries according to their national strength. 

The UK regards the US defense intelligence cooperation as core interests of their bilateral relations. In trade and economy, the US is UK's largest export market outside of the EU, but London is not Washington's priority in trade partners. Thus, if the London wants to develop stronger relations with Washington, it would have to show a higher strategic value of its own.

The UK might have to pay a high price should it cater to the US. If the UK allows greater access of US chlorine-washed chicken, and if it revises the National Health Service allowing the US medical service industry to enter the UK market, there would be unprecedented opposition among UK voices. The moves could risk any politician's political career. 

Under Trump's "America First" policy, Washington wants its allies to contribute to US strategic and economic goals. That being said, the US may challenge UK values on multilateralism and traditional diplomatic philosophy. 

For instance, when visiting the UK in 2018, Trump took a hard line with the UK government over Huawei. However, Britain entrepreneurs and governmental departments thought that resisting Huawei would make the UK lag behind other countries in 5G technologies. 

The independence of Britain's diplomacy is an essential measure for it to protect national interests and play a middle power role. However, London may have to follow Washington's global strategy if it wants to boost relations with the latter.

Forging a close relationship with Trump could be a double-edged sword for Johnson. Trump's support in a hard Brexit reflects his EU disdain, rather than his full support in UK appeal. The British people and political elites feel that the US is interfering in their internal affairs. 

Meanwhile, Trump praised Johnson and Nigel Farage, Brexit party leader, as "two very good guys" with "big powers." This could create more controversy in the Conservative Party for Johnson and have a negative impact on the party's next general election. Consequently, the similarities between Johnson and Trump are not enough for both countries to build a stronger relationship.

The author is a research fellow with the Institute of European Studies, China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn


Newspaper headline: UK should worry about Johnson-Trump axis