America and Europe will create a joint tech council to craft new rules on trade Christina Wilkie 1 hr ago

The United States and the European Union will announce a new joint technology and trade initiative Tuesday to counter China’s rising influence.

The Technology and Trade Council will devise new standards for emerging technology; promote democratic values online; and help the U.S. and EU collaborate on cutting edge research.

China has made huge public investments in its tech sector, creating an internet economy that is controlled by the state and reflects its political values.

The United States and Europe will announce a new joint technology and trade initiative on Tuesday, part of a wide-reaching effort this week by President Joe Biden to rally European allies and challenge China’s rising influence.

The U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council will have three overarching goals: To establish new global trade standards for emerging technology; to promote democratic values online; and to find ways for the United States and the EU to collaborate on cutting edge research and development.

The end result will be that “democracies and not anyone else, not China or other autocracies, are writing the rules for trade and technology for the 21st century,” national security advisor Jake Sullivan said at a press briefing last week.

On the U.S. side, the trade council will be co-chaired by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and Ambassador Katherine Tai, the U.S. trade representative, said a Biden administration official who briefed reporters and requested anonymity to discuss ongoing negotiations.

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