Ukraine, trade and UK ambitions in artificial intelligence: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is in Washington for a two-day visit, meant to further warm the relationship with President Joe Biden.
London and Washington already share the same line on the conflict in Ukraine, or even a strong position against China, manifested through a brand new three-way military alliance with Australia.
The visit of the British chief executive must mark that the page has really been turned, after his predecessors Boris Johnson and Liz Truss who rocked the bilateral relationship.
He also intends to affirm more generally the ambitions of the United Kingdom after Brexit: on the boiling front of artificial intelligence (AI), Rishi Sunak would like the future world regulator of the sector to be based in London, according to British media .
"The United Kingdom is well placed to play a leading role. After the United States, we are undoubtedly the most advanced democratic country in this area. We have competence in terms of regulation for our citizens", said the British leader at TalkTV.
London will however have to find its place between the United States and the European Union, which is trying to position itself as the major entity producing standards for tech. The Europeans have already engaged in dialogue with Washington on the regulation of artificial intelligence.
Rishi Sunak's first step was heavy with symbolism: the day after the 79th anniversary of the Allied landings in Normandy, the British chief executive laid a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier at Arlington military cemetery, "in memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice so that we could live free."
His program on Wednesday includes a meeting with major American bosses, interviews with elected officials from Congress, and a baseball game - where this cricket fan will, however, refrain from throwing the first pitch.
It is Thursday that he will go to the White House to reaffirm with Joe Biden the unfailing support of the two countries for Ukraine after the destruction of a major hydroelectric dam in the south of the country, of which accuse each other. mutually Moscow and Kiev.
In an interview with ITV, while refraining from naming those responsible, Rishi Sunak estimated that Russia had "a deliberate strategy aimed at attacking civilian infrastructure."
On the trade front, Rishi Sunak has given up on quickly materializing the ambition displayed since Brexit by London to reach a trade agreement with the Biden administration, which has adopted a new industrial doctrine that is not conducive to free trade.
"The relationship (between the United Kingdom and the United States) is very strong on the fundamentals: defence, security, attitude towards China", analyzes Leslie Vinjamuri, director of the program on the United States and the Americas in the Chatham House think tank.
“But on specific topics like AI and commerce, (Joe) Biden is unlikely to drop much as we approach a decisive election year,” she said.
"As the interoperability of our armies has given us an advantage over our adversaries on the battlefield, greater economic interoperability will give us a crucial advantage for the coming decades", however pleaded in a press release Rishi Sunak, former banker of businessman who studied in the United States and owns property in California.
The future direction of NATO could also be a topic.
According to several British media, Rishi Sunak will push the candidacy of his Minister of Defense Ben Wallace to succeed the Norwegian Jens Stoltenberg, whose mandate ends in October, and who will also be received next Monday by Joe Biden.
The White House has so far been careful not to officially comment on the subject. His spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre, asked about an extension of Jens Stoltenberg's mandate, only said on Wednesday that the latter had done a "remarkable job" at the head of the Western defense alliance.
07/06/2023 21:13:53 - Washington (AFP) - © 2023 AFP
