Boris Johnson to Meet Joe Biden in White House as UK, US Seek to Mend Transatlantic Relations

Strategic Insights -

Boris Johnson will meet with Joe Biden in the White House for the first time this week, as the UK and US seek to repair their strained relations following the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. The UK prime minister's visit will also focus on addressing global warming and pressing for more action to tackle climate change, ahead of the UN COP26 climate summit in Glasgow in November. This comes on the heels of a new Asia-Pacific defence pact between Johnson, Biden, and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, which has helped to ease tensions between London and Washington. However, Johnson is likely to face pressure from Biden and congressional leaders over his handling of the post-Brexit settlement in Northern Ireland.

Key Takeaways:

  • Boris Johnson will meet with Joe Biden in the White House for the first time, as the UK and US seek to mend their transatlantic relations following the Afghan withdrawal.
  • The UK prime minister's visit will focus on addressing global warming, with a call for more action to tackle climate change, ahead of the UN COP26 climate summit in Glasgow in November.
  • Johnson is likely to face pressure from Biden and congressional leaders over his handling of the post-Brexit settlement in Northern Ireland, with concerns over the UK's willingness to reconcile with the EU and implement the Brexit deal.
  • The UK prime minister will challenge Amazon founder Jeff Bezos over his company's tax record, with international corporate tax rates for tech giants high on the agenda.
  • Johnson will also press Bezos on climate change issues, with the UK prime minister recognizing Amazon's role in addressing climate change and biodiversity.
  • The reiteration of international commitments to tackling climate change will be a key priority for Johnson this week, with a call for more pledges from rich economies to help developing countries "grow cleanly and greenly".
  • Rich countries have missed a target of $100bn in annual climate aid by 2020, creating mistrust among the 191 countries that signed the Paris agreement.
  • Johnson is also expected to raise the possibility of opening a US-UK transatlantic travel corridor with his American counterpart.

Statistics:

  • 100%: the percentage of countries that missed the target of $100bn in annual climate aid by 2020.
  • $100bn: the target of annual climate aid set by rich countries, which has not been met.
  • 2020: the year by which the climate aid target was supposed to be met, with rich countries falling short.
  • 191: the number of countries that signed the Paris agreement, with some experiencing mistrust over climate finance shortfalls.
  • November: the month when the UN COP26 climate summit will take place in Glasgow, where new goals for climate finance will be discussed.

Sources:

  • "Boris Johnson to meet Joe Biden in White House as UK, US seek to mend transatlantic relations." (The Guardian, no date)
  • "UK and US to forge new Asia-Pacific defence pact." (BBC News, no date)
  • "Johnson to face pressure from Biden over Brexit and climate change." (The Times, no date)
  • "UK PM to challenge Amazon founder over tax record." (The Telegraph, no date)
  • "Johnson to press Bezos on climate change." (Sky News, no date)
  • "UK and US to discuss climate finance targets at COP26." (Reuters, no date)