According to Reuters, on Monday [16 November 2020], US President-elect Joe Biden said that the United States needed to negotiate with allies to set global trading rules to counter China’s growing influence but declined to say whether he would join a new China-backed Asian trade pact signed on Sunday [15 November 2020].
Asked whether the United States would join the Asian-focused 15-country Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement, Biden said he could not yet discuss US trade policy because he had not taken office “and there’s only one president at a time.” Biden said he had a detailed trade plan he would discuss on 21 January 2021, the day after he is due to be sworn into office.
“We make up 25% … of the economy in the world,” Biden said of the United States. “We need to be aligned with the other democracies, another 25% or more so that we can set the rules of the road instead of having China and others dictate outcomes because they are the only game in town.”
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