Boris Johnson's US task would challenge even an experienced minister

British foreign secretary and Trump administration have potentially conflicted relations on a huge range of major issues.

May’s government, like David Cameron’s before it, has gone to extraordinary lengths to woo the Chinese government, ignoring abuses in Hong Kong, Tibet and China’s Muslim west in an effort to attract inward investment. While Britain shares US concerns about China’s island-building in the South China Sea, Trump’s taunting of Beijing over this issue, as well as trade and Taiwan, potentially undermines efforts to build a new “golden era” in Sino-British ties – unless, of course, Britain disowns him first.