The United Kingdom (UK) secretary for international trade hopes to make history by agreeing to a free trade agreement (FTA) with Australia, which would be its first independently negotiated trade deal from scratch since leaving the European Union. “Our trading relationship is deep and longstanding, with the UK once Australia’s foremost trading partner,” Liz Truss wrote in The Australian. “We left some of our oldest allies behind when joining the European Common Market in the 1970s, but now is our chance to right this historic wrong.” Truss called the two nations “natural partners” as both were democracies who stood for freedom, fairness, and high standards in areas such as food and animal welfare. “I have great affection for your nation and admire your principled stand as a great pro-trade champion against pernicious practices from the likes of China,” Truss said, referring to Beijing’s ongoing economic coercion campaign against Australia, which …