Biden eases trade friction with EU ahead of Putin summit
Brussels: President Joe Biden on Tuesday moved to end a long-running dispute with the European Union over subsidies for aircraft manufacturers, a major breakthrough in the US-EU trade relationship that comes on the eve of his highly anticipated meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The announcement that the two sides reached resolution in a 17-year dispute over how much of a government subsidy each can provide for its aircraft manufacturing giant Boeing in the United States and Airbus in the EU came as Biden met with European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
With the move, Biden eases a major point of tension in the trans-Atlantic relationship at a moment he's seeking to marshal widespread European support for his efforts to counter Russia prior to his Wednesday meeting in Geneva with Putin.
US Trade Representative Katherine Tai told reporters that the agreement calls for a five-year suspension of the aircraft tariffs, and stressed that it was time to put aside the fight and focus on China's economic assertiveness. Today's announcement resolves a longstanding trade irritant in the US-Europe relationship.
Instead of fighting with one of our closest allies, we are finally coming together against a common threat,"" Tai said.
We agreed to work together to challenge and counter China's non-market practices in this sector in specific ways that reflect our standards for fair competition. She added that the tariffs could be reimplemented if the US determines US companies are not able to compete fairly with the EU's.
The tariffs had been temporarily suspended on March 11 for four months, and the new agreement will officially go into effect on July 11.
To be certain, the US-EU relationship faces other trade-related friction.
The continent's leaders are becoming impatient that Biden has not yet addressed Donald Trump's 2018 decision to impose import taxes on foreign steel and aluminum.
Even without resolving all trade disputes, White House officials expressed confidence that they can build more goodwill with Europe ahead of the face-to-face meeting with Putin.
The White House on Tuesday announced the creation of a joint US-EU trade and technology council. The council will work on coordinating standards for artificial intelligence, quantum computing and bio-technologies, as well as coordinating efforts on bolstering supply chain resilience.
Biden is appointing Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and Tai to co-chair the US side of the effort.
The White House said the two sides will also discuss efforts to stem climate change and launch an expert group to determine how best to reopen travel safely as the Coronavirus pandemic ebbs.
Biden started his day by meeting with Belgian King Philippe and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo.
The US-EU summit is also expected to include a communique that will address concerns about China's provocative behaviour.
That statement would follow a NATO summit communique on Monday that declared China a constant security challenge and said the Chinese are working to undermine the global rules-based order.
On Sunday, the Group of Seven nations called out what it said were China's forced labor practices and other human rights violations against Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic minorities in the western Xinjiang province.
Biden is also expected to spend time discussing Russia with Michel and von der Leyen ahead of Wednesday's summit with Putin. Since taking office in January, Biden has repeatedly pressed Putin to take action to stop Russian-originated cyberattacks on companies and governments in the US and around the globe and decried the imprisonment of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
