WASHINGTON (AP) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson made it clear to President Joe Biden on Saturday that he is looking forward to forging a new US-UK trade deal.
The impetus for a new deal came in a broad appeal between the two leaders who addressed the global response to the coronavirus pandemic, as well as the Biden government announcing this week that the United States would again join the Paris climate agreement and the World Health Organization. , according to a statement from Downing Street.
A new trade deal between the allies is a higher priority for Johnson than for Biden. The United Kingdom regained control over its national trade policy at the beginning of the month following the end of a post-Brexit transition period.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Friday that the government had no deadline to forge a new trade deal, as Biden’s attention is largely focused on keeping the coronavirus pandemic under control and putting pressure on Congress to approve the president’s $ 1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan.
Janet Yellen, nominated for Biden’s Treasury Secretary, also signaled during her confirmation hearing earlier this week that Biden was not looking forward to negotiating new trade deals.
“President Biden has made it clear that he will not sign any new free trade agreements before the United States makes major investments in American workers and in our infrastructure,” said Yellen.
Downing Street said on Saturday that Biden and Johnson discussed “the benefits of a potential free trade agreement between our two countries” and Johnson “reiterated his intention to resolve existing trade problems as quickly as possible”.
The White House in its own statement said the two leaders talked about combating climate change, containing COVID-19, and ensuring the security of global health, as well as shared foreign policy priorities in China, Iran and Russia. But the statement notably made no mention of trade discussions.
The Johnson bond was at least Biden’s third bond with a foreign counterpart since Friday. The president spoke with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Friday night.