U.S.-UK Trade Agreement: Now is the Time

Please join the CSIS Scholl Chair in International Business for the rollout of its recent report, "U.S.-UK Trade Agreement: Now is the Time," by Meredith Broadbent on February 15 at 1:30 PM EDT. This conversation, moderated by Meredith Broadbent, will feature Rep. Adrian Smith, the Chair of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade to discuss his agenda in the new Congress. After Rep. Smith’s remarks, Meredith will be joined by three panelists: Shanker Singham, Chairman and CEO of Competere, Ltd.; David J. Salmonsen, Senior Director of the American Farm Bureau Federation; and Jeffrey G. Weiss, Partner at Steptoe & Johnson, LLP. In their conversation, they will discuss the contours of a potential U.S.-UK trade agreement.

The economic and strategic benefits of a free trade agreement between the U.S. and the UK are compelling. The two nations, close allies with compatible, advanced economies, have ample room to increase economic collaboration through the establishment of a new trade agreement. Unfortunately, since prior rounds of negotiations of transatlantic free trade agreements such as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) have come up short, questions about feasibility of a new FTA persist.

As the Biden Administration slowly pursues a number of international trade objectives such as the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF), the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council, the Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity, the U.S.-Kenya Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership, and the U.S.-Taiwan Initiative for 21st Century Trade, a robust free trade agreement between the U.S. and the UK will position the Biden Administration to get the most out of these other international priorities. Given the opportunity for deepened economic collaboration, the close relationship between the two nations, and UK motivation to pursue new trade deals in a post-Brexit world, there is no better partner for the U.S. to pursue a new trade deal with than the UK.

This event is made possible by support from the Legatum Institute and Gilead Sciences, Inc.