国际英语新闻:UK sets up new unit to minimize post-Brexit trade disruption: senior official

LONDON, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- The British government is setting up the Border Operations Centre to minimize disruption to trade when Brexit transition period expires at the end of this year, local media report Tuesday.

From Jan. 1, 2021, the Border Operations Centre will use specialists and cutting-edge software to help cope with disruption once Britain leaves the single market and customs union of the European Union (EU) and moves to new trading arrangements, Sky News reported.

"At the end of the year we will take back control of our borders and that's why we have set up the new Border Operations Centre to monitor and analyse flows of goods and people into the UK in real time," British Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove was quoted by the media as saying.

It is hoped that a better access to information and intelligence will minimize the disruption as changes in trading arrangements will likely mean there is "short-term" disruption at the border, according to the Sky News.

Gove's announcement came as the British economy is forecast to shrink by 11.3 percent this year, the worst recession in more than 300 years in the country as a result of the coronavirus crisis.

Commenting on the coronavirus pandemic and its accompanying economic crisis, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on Sunday called on Britain and the EU to focus "all of our minds on doing everything we can to give the economy a bit of a boost".

To bring economy back on track, countries such as Britain, China, Germany, Russia and the United States are racing against time to develop coronavirus vaccines.

Britain and the EU are continuing their post-Brexit talks to secure a trade deal. Failure to reach a free trade agreement with the EU means bilateral trade will fall back on World Trade Organization (WTO) rules in 2021. Whether both sides reach a deal or not, there will be big changes at Britain's borders in 2021.