Washington US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak have announced an agreement for transatlantic economic cooperation. An “Atlantic Declaration” released by Washington and London on Thursday sets out a set of common intentions for tech and other industries.
In principle, the USA and Great Britain want to work on robust supply chains, take a “leading role” in future technologies and invest more specifically in the other country’s industry. “No country is closer to us,” said Biden during an appearance at the White House. Sunak praised the “unshakeable foundation” of the relationship and addressed the US President, who is almost twice his age, by his first name, Joe.
Both reiterated the goal of reducing strategic dependencies, especially on China. “Countries like China and Russia are willing to manipulate and exploit our open markets, steal our intellectual property, use technology for authoritarian purposes, or deprive us of important resources like energy,” Sunak said while standing next to Biden in the White House. “They won’t succeed.”
The agreement is not a comprehensive trade pact with the USA, such as Great Britain has been striving for since leaving the European Union. Nevertheless, the deal can be seen as a further step in Great Britain pursuing its own economic relations with the USA, which are independent of the EU. The agreement also signals that Great Britain could in part join the protectionist tendencies of the USA.
According to the statement, British companies from the green energy, health and defense sectors should be able to access US markets and take advantage of billions in US subsidies from the controversial Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
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The example of critical minerals shows that the global trend is towards narrowly defined economic agreements: The British and the Americans have also agreed on closer cooperation in the area of raw materials. At the same time, the USA is already pursuing such efforts with other trading partners. They have concluded a raw materials agreement with Japan and are exploring a transatlantic raw materials deal with the EU.
The British defense secretary is traded as a possible candidate for the post of NATO Secretary General.
(Photo: Reuters)
When it comes to artificial intelligence, Great Britain also wants to go its own way from the EU. The country is not a member of the Transatlantic Trade and Technology Council (TTC), where Washington and Brussels negotiate AI policies.
Sunak wanted to use his visit to Washington to win Biden over to his ideas for global AI regulation. The British hope that this could be controlled from London. However, it remained unclear whether the British prime minister was successful in doing so, and the joint statement remained vague in this regard. In the autumn, it said, the UK is set to host the first global AI summit, bringing together “key countries, leading tech companies and researchers.”
Sunak warned of the risks of AI in the White House. “We have to show the same urgency as with climate change,” he said, adding that new technologies are changing rapidly.
On the fringes of the visit, US President Biden did not rule out that the next NATO Secretary General could possibly come from Great Britain. “Maybe,” Biden said when asked by a reporter if British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace was an option. “He is a very qualified person.”
The election of Jens Stoltenberg’s successor must be based on NATO guidelines and cannot be decided by him. France prefers an EU candidate, alongside Wallace is Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Fredriksen. The Dane was received by Biden in the White House three days ago.
New dispute over Ukraine aid
Sunak and Biden reiterate their long-term support for Ukraine. “We’re not going anywhere,” said the British Prime Minister. “Some have wondered what kind of partner Britain would be after leaving the EU. I say we should be measured by our deeds.”
Great Britain is considered one of the most important European partners of the USA in the defense of Ukraine. For example, London supports the so-called fighter jet coalition, which is open to deliveries of fighter jets to Ukraine.
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However, the mainstay of Ukraine’s defense is the United States, which has so far approved $113 billion in military, humanitarian and economic aid. The US would stand with Kiev “as long as necessary”, even if there were some voices in the US Congress “debating whether we should continue to support Ukraine and how long we should support them”.
Republican presidential candidates like Donald Trump want to abolish aid to Ukraine. And Republican Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy this week threatened that the House could halt special packages to Ukraine.
Biden warned of blockade: ‘What if we stop sending money and guns? Would Russia then simply withdraw from Ukraine? I don’t believe”.
US east coast under smoke screen
Sunak brought Biden two gifts: a personalized Barbour jacket and a copy of a book by Biden’s great-great-grandfather, Christopher Biden, from the mid-19th century.
He visited a Washington in a state of emergency, because the US capital and other metropolises on the US coast have been under a pall of smoke for days. Clouds of hundreds of forest fires in neighboring Canada are responsible for this. Elderly people, children and people with health problems are encouraged to stay indoors.
Biden promised the Canadian government additional emergency aid on Thursday and described the fires as “a clear symptom of the consequences of climate change”. The US has sent hundreds of firefighters, rescue workers and firefighting equipment to Canada.
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