The US Office of the Trade Representative (USTR) and the British government announced on Wednesday that trade discussions between the two countries will begin next week.
One of the key goals of the campaign that led to Britain’s exit from the European Union was to secure a trade deal with the United States, despite detractors’ claims that any deal would take years and never fully compensate for leaving the EU’s single market.
The talks will begin on March 21 and 22 in Baltimore, Maryland, and will be followed by another meeting in Britain later in the spring, according to separate releases from the two parties.
The talks will “examine how the US and UK can collaborate to promote common international trade priorities anchored in our shared values, while fostering innovation and inclusive economic growth for workers and businesses on both sides of the Atlantic,” according to the US Trade Representative.
The UK government stated that the “new series of transatlantic conversations (is) aimed at increasing trade and investment connections and improving our already-thriving 200 billion pound ($153 billion) partnership.”
According to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the meetings, the partners are scheduled to discuss cooperating on easing supply-chain congestion, decarbonizing their economies, encouraging digital trade, supporting domestic workforces, and labour rights.
