US President Joe Biden remained ambiguous on Thursday when asked if his government would give Canada a break on tax breaks for electric automobiles built in the US.
Biden was asked whether he would revise the proposal that might affect Canada's car sector as he sat down for a bilateral discussion with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the Oval Office. He told reporters that tax credits of up to $12,500 for electric vehicles made in the United States had still to be approved by Congress.
As he launched the meeting, Biden praised the United States' tight connection with Canada, noting he and Trudeau had spoken six times in the previous year. The two countries are "hugely aligned on climate and COVID-19," said Trudeau, The Globe and Mail reported.
'Threes Amigos' meeting aims to deepen economic cooperation
Before a meeting between Trudeau and Vice-President Kamala Harris and a Three Amigos sit-down with Trudeau, Biden, and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the two met bilaterally in the early afternoon.
According to US sources, Biden's objective when he meets with Trudeau and his Mexican counterpart at the White House on Thursday is to "deepen and extend" economic cooperation and resolve trade barriers.
Senior US officials told reporters that the president wants to work out solutions to problems that have vexed Canada and Mexico since VPresident Joe Biden took over as president.
There are numerous points of agreement between the United States and Canada, but one point of contention appears to be attracting the most attention. Prime Minister Trudeau and President Biden reaffirmed their strong convergence on climate change and the pandemic in a White House appearance ahead of their official talks.
A reporter's query regarding Biden's planned tax cut on electric cars (EVs) revealed a serious flaw in their relationship. Biden wants to offer Americans a large tax credit if they buy electric vehicles built in the United States, but only if they are made in the United States, as per BBC News.
This might imply that Canada, which supplies the US car industry with billions of dollars in components each year, will be left out. Trudeau stated he was "a little bit concerned" about the credits earlier today, but he did speak to reporters about it.
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Biden, Trudeau, Lopez-Obrador had private meeting
Per The Wahington Examiner, the White House denied canceling plans for a news conference after President Joe Biden meets with his Canadian and Mexican counterparts because advisers did not want Biden to accept questions from reporters.
Last week, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden would attend a news conference following the so-called "Three Amigos" meeting, held after each of the eight prior summits.
According to White House spokesman Chris Meagher on Wednesday, reporters will only be allowed in the meeting rooms for brief periods of time before Biden speaks separately with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, and then again when they all gather together.
The issue was posed after the White House corrected three remarks made by Biden on Tuesday. Biden mistakenly asserted that the US backs a Taiwan that was "independent" of China, hinted at a Federal Reserve Board chair nomination announcement this weekend as inflation rises, and then joked that he would be part of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games trip, despite boycott demands.
Biden traveled to Detroit on Wednesday to sell voters on the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure agreement. On Tuesday, he visited Woodstock, New Hampshire, as part of the same sales tour.
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