After the nuclear submarine crisis, the United States and Europe began to come together.

The United States and the European Union (EU) took the first step on Wednesday in bringing their positions on Wednesday, following tensions sparked last week by the Indo-Pacific defense alliance known as AUKUS.

So, and with the idea of ​​rebuilding the front against China, They inaugurated this Wednesday the first round of the Bilateral Trade and Technology Council (TTC, in English).

At the meeting held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Secretary of State, Antoine Blink; the secretary of commerce, Gina Raimondo; and the US Trade Representative, Katherine Tai; and for Europeans the executive vice-presidents Valdis Dombrovskis and Margrethe Vestager.

“We are together at the time of protect our businesses, consumers and workers from unfair practices, especially those posed by non-market economies, which undermine the global trading system», Said the joint statement at the end of the meeting.

China in the shade

Blinken assured that one of the axes of the talks was “transatlantic cooperation on supply chains and to stop authoritarian influences and actors”.

For his part, the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, Valdis Dombrovskis, stressed that the two sides will seek to strengthen collaboration to “prevent sensitive technologies do not fall into the wrong hands ”.

All this in reference to the growing concern over China’s rise to power as a world power in these areas.

TTC has prioritized technologies such as 5G and 6G networks, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, platform regulation, pharmaceutical and medical advances, and robotics.

He also put his focus on the problem of the global shortage of superconductors, necessary to manufacture the microchips that power more and more connected devices, and this affects the global economic recovery.

The statement highlighted the “Mutual commitment to build an alliance that rebalances supply chains” with the aim of ensuring their availability and avoiding “competition for subsidies”.

“We stress the importance of identify faults and vulnerabilities, delineate value chain capabilities and strengthen our semiconductor ecosystems, from research and design to manufacturing to improve endurance, ”added the joint note.

From Spain, the Minister of Commerce, Reyes Maroto, stressed that the solution to the lack of semiconductors is through “joint actions on both sides of the Atlantic”, for which he described the appointment as “a breakthrough”.

Transatlantic storm

Washington and Brussels are experiencing one of the most tense moments in their bilateral relations since President Joe Biden arrived at the White House after the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in August, which many Europeans consider The United States mismanaged and out of European anger over the US agreement to supply submarines to Australia this month.

In fact, the date for the first round of the council was about to be postponed due to the unexpected announcement to the EU of the so-called Alliance “Aukus” between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia, a country which, in this new framework, canceled an order of several million dollars for submarines from France.

“Just seeing each other in person and seeing the talks begin between the US and European authorities will be a sign of much needed progress. This is how painful the state of relations is in the post-Trump world and in the midst of the pandemic, ”said Chad P. Bown and Cecilia Malmström, researchers at the Peterson Institute think tank in Washington.

The TTC initiative crystallized in the EU-US bilateral summit last June in Brussels, during which Biden and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen officially announced its launch, as he was preparing since the administration of Republican Donald Trump.

With information from the EFE

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