WASHINGTON (AP) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson made it clear on Saturday to President Joe Biden that he is ready to forge a new trade deal between the United States and the United Kingdom.
The push for a new deal came in a wide-ranging call between the two leaders who addressed the global response to the coronavirus pandemic, as well as the Biden administration that announced this week that the U.S. would rejoin the Paris climate agreement and the World Health Organization. , according to a Downing Street statement.
A new trade agreement between the allies is a higher priority for Johnson than for Biden. The UK regained control of its national trade policy earlier this month after the end of a post-Brexit transition period.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Friday that the administration had no timetable for forging a new trade deal, as Biden’s focus is primarily on controlling the coronavirus pandemic and putting pressure on Congress to approve the president’s $ 1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan.
Janet Yellen, nominated for Biden’s Treasury secretariat, also noted during her 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 U.S. makes significant investments in American workers and in our infrastructure,” Yellen said.
Downing Street said Saturday that Biden and Johnson discussed “the benefits of a possible free trade agreement between our two countries” and Johnson “reiterated his intention to resolve existing trade issues as soon as possible.”
The White House said in its own statement that the two leaders spoke of the fight against climate change, which contained COVID-19, and of ensuring global health security and shared foreign policy priorities in China, the Iran and Russia. But especially the statement made no mention of the discussion on trade.
The call with Johnson was at least Biden’s third call with a foreign counterpart since Friday. The president spoke Friday night with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.