Biden and Macron are getting closer in the trade dispute: “Become brothers in arms again”

Emmanuel Macron and Joe Biden

The Presidents of France and the USA demonstrate a solidarity.

(Photo: AP)

Washington France’s head of state Emmanuel Macron and US President Joe Biden have sought to close ranks despite the tense trade relations. With a view to current crises, Biden said on Thursday: “The United States could not wish for a better partner in this world than France.” They would now work together on solutions in the coming weeks.

The US President received his French counterpart with military honors on the South Lawn of the White House. Macron is on a multi-day state visit to the United States. In the run-up, he expressed clear criticism of the latest economic decisions in the USA.

Biden received Macron and his wife Brigitte as the first foreign state guest since taking office with a festive ceremony. In contrast to regular work visits, the protocol involved in a state visit is higher. This is a sign of the importance of France as an ally of the US in the current international environment.

In addition to the US President and his wife Jill, Vice President Kamala Harris and numerous US ministers also welcomed the guests from France to a one-hour welcoming ceremony. In honor of the visit, the military band played the anthems of the United States and France. The reception was accompanied by cannon shots.

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The US and France must “become brothers in arms again,” Macron said, referring to the “return of war on European soil after Russian aggression against Ukraine.” Democracies on both sides of the ocean are being shaken by the same dangers.

Brigitte Macron, Emmanuel Macron, Joe Biden, Jill Biden

Joe and Jill Biden received Macron and his wife Brigitte as the first foreign state guest since he took office with a festive ceremony.

(Photo: AP)

Macron cited hate speech and disinformation as examples. The day before, Macron had discussed what is currently straining relations between the two countries. He warned of a split in Western forces over a US government law that Biden sees as the greatest success of his tenure to date.

Macron: “I’m going home confident”

The so-called Inflation Reduction Act is intended to boost US industry and give it preference over foreign competitors. Subsidies and tax credits are linked to companies using US products or producing them themselves in the US. The decisions made “are decisions that will fragment the West,” Macron had warned before the meeting at the French embassy in Washington.

>> Read here: “France is at the centre” – Why Macron gets a deluxe state reception from Biden

The US President addressed the issue directly in the joint press conference: “We had a detailed discussion about the Inflation Reduction Act. I know you’re all interested in this,” Biden said. The two spoke at length about the issue and agreed on “practical steps” so that the countries could come to a solution, the President said without becoming more specific.

“We wanted to make sure – and I hope Europe does too – that we have our own supply chains,” Biden said of the Inflation Reduction Act. “But I never wanted to exclude those who work with us. We’re back in business. Europe is back in business. We will create more jobs in the US, but not at the expense of Europe,” he clarified.

Emmanuel Macron and Joe Biden

he so-called Inflation Reduction Act is intended to boost US industry and give it preference over foreign competitors.

(Photo: IMAGO/UPI Photo)

Macron replied: “We have agreed to resynchronize our approaches. We share the same vision, the same will.” The countries had created a common strategy. Macron said he would now coordinate with the European partners “to create more industrial jobs in the US and Europe again” and thus make the supply chains safer. “I’m going home confident,” he said.

>> Read here: The Stranger Friend – Is a trade war looming between the US and the EU?

Following the lavish program including dinner in Washington, the French President will travel on to the metropolis of New Orleans in the US state of Louisiana. The US government stressed that France is the United States’ oldest ally.

Last year, relations between the two NATO partners suffered because France missed out on billions in submarine business because of a new security alliance in the Indo-Pacific in which the United States is involved.

More: Signs of life from a trading power – how the traffic light, of all things, brought the Ceta agreement through

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