Chamber head involved in UK/US trade dialogues
BCC DG, Shevaun Haviland, has spoken today at the UK/US trade dialogues in Aberdeen – to seek better trade ties with the US.
Ms Haviland has called for an ambitious approach that prioritises sustainability, stabilises supply chains, and reduces costs for thousands of smaller businesses on both sides of the Atlantic.
She said: “As a network, we are supportive of free and open trade, and of deeper relationships with our key international partners. We welcome the opportunity to participate in this dialogue, shaping clear outcomes at this critical juncture as we recover from the pandemic but face now the consequences from the War in Ukraine. Trade is critical to our common economic recovery on both sides of the Atlantic – done right, it makes us more prosperous, more productive, raises investment and wage levels, and opens new horizons. But its opportunities have to be shared by everyone – across workforces and all the communities of the UK represented in the BCC and the US – from the industrial heart of Pennsylvania to the food manufacturers in the North East of Scotland.”
Ms Haviland was joined at the Dialogues by the BCC’s US affiliate – British American Business (BAB). It has taken part in both the US and UK roundtable sessions.
Duncan Edwards, Chief Executive Officer of BAB, said: “The transatlantic business community welcomes the Dialogues as a promising opportunity to build on the already strong trade and investment relationship shared by the US and UK. We were pleased to see the progress made in Baltimore and the renewed emphasis on transatlantic trade, investment, and political cooperation. Following the progress made at the first Dialogue, it is important that discussions in Aberdeen focus on achieving tangible outcomes on each of the identified work-streams and lead to joint initiatives on SMEs, digital trade, green trade, and supply chains.”
Find out more about the UK/US trade dialogues here.
