The purpose of this dialog is to work together to make our trade smarter, and to help our workers and businesses compete in a really tough global economy, one senior U.S. trade official said
U.S. and British officials will begin two days of meetings in Baltimore on Monday to discuss strengthening trade ties, as the United States and its allies ratchet up pressure on Russia over its war in Ukraine and China for failing to condemn it.
Senior U.S. trade officials described the talks, which include a tour of the port of Baltimore and meetings with U.S. workers and industry executives, as a broad effort to take stock of the $153 billion bilateral trade relationship, with specific irritants to be set aside and dealt with in separate talks.
The purpose of this dialog is to work together to make our trade smarter, and to help our workers and businesses compete in a really tough global economy, one senior U.S. trade official told reporters.
The two sides are ‘making progress’ in separate talks on resolving a dispute over U.S. steel and aluminium tariffs, the official said, but other agencies are leading those efforts.
Washington also remains concerned about UK food safety standards that prevent imports of U.S. chlorine-treated chicken, but will address that issue separately, a second official said.
U.S. and UK officials said this week’s meetings do not mark a resumption of formal talks about a free trade agreement held under the former Trump administration and suspended once President Joe Biden took office.
Such agreements are just one tool at our disposal and we really do need to be creative and think outside the box when it comes to trade policy, a third senior trade official said. That’s what this dialog will help us unpack.
The two sides will meet again later this spring in Britain, but the location has not been finalized, officials said.
