WASHINGTON (AP) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has made it clear to President Joe Biden on Saturday that he is keen to conclude a new US-UK trade deal.
The impetus for a new agreement came in a wide appeal between the two leaders who have reached the global response to the coronavirus pandemic, as well as the Biden administration that announced this week that the US will join the Paris climate agreement and the World Health Organization . , according to a statement from Downing Street.
A new trade agreement between the allies is a higher priority for Johnson than for Biden. The United Kingdom regained control of its national trade policy early next month after the end of a post-Brexit transition period.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Friday that the administration has no timetable for concluding a new trade deal, as Biden’s focus is largely on controlling the coronavirus pandemic and pressing Congress to pass the aid plan for the presidency of the $ 1.9 trillion coronavirus.
Janet Yellen, nominated for Biden’s Secretary of the Treasury, also said during a confirmation hearing earlier this week that Biden was unwilling to negotiate new trade deals.
“President Biden has made it clear that he will not sign any new free trade agreement until the United States makes major investments in American workers and our infrastructure,” Yellen said.
Downing Street said 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 issues as soon as possible.”
The White House, in its own statement, said the two leaders spoke about combating climate change, which contains COVID-19, and ensuring global health security, as well as common foreign policy priorities in China, Iran and Russia. But the statement did not specifically mention trade talks.
Johnson’s call was at least Biden’s third call with a foreign counterpart on Friday. The president spoke with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Friday night.