On February 6, Saudi Arabia's "Arab News" published an article entitled "Biden and Scholz work hard to strengthen transatlantic relations, but challenges remain", written by Andrew Hammond, a researcher at the Center for International Affairs, Diplomacy and Major Strategic Studies at the London School of Economics and Political Science. The full text is excerpted below:
Relations between Germany and the United States were generally stable and strong after the war, until the election of Trump**. Great uncertainty has plagued the relationship since 2017, and even after Trump left the White House, the relationship between the two countries has not been fully stable.
While Biden and Scholz may seem similar in their political and personal leanings, they also have some key differences. On Ukraine, for example, tensions between the two have escalated around the speed and scope of Western support for Kyiv.
The United States is also very worried about Germany's China policy, since Berlin has been one of the main advocates of economic engagement with Beijing in the West, at least since the Merkel era.
Another issue that complicates bilateral relations is the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act. This is a huge subsidy scheme for clean technologies that poses a potentially significant risk to the EU's goal of maintaining its unique global centrality in the green industrial revolution.
Europe is increasingly feeling that its superiority in this "race" is at stake, which provokes quarrels on both sides of the Atlantic.
Despite these differences, which can sometimes pose challenges, Biden and Scholz are still seeking to rebuild the U.S.-German relationship, which is very important to both countries.
For the United States**, Berlin's importance will only increase in the context of Brexit. Similarly, Scholz was quick to recognize the importance of the United States to Germany.
On that basis, the two leaders can agree on a number of issues when they meet at the White House next week, including the importance of Biden's strategic goal of reuniting the Western alliance after the former Trump caused.
The leaders of both countries agreed on the importance of strengthening cooperation in the face of a range of challenges, including maintaining international security, promoting economic prosperity, and addressing the threat posed by climate change.
Biden argues that the U.S.-German relationship is key to that mission, because in the post-Brexit era, he sees Berlin as an increasingly important anchor in transatlantic relations at a time of increasing geopolitical turmoil, perhaps alongside Paris.
Easing tensions between the two countries over thorny issues such as the Inflation Reduction Act could also have a positive impact on diplomacy. The two countries can help accelerate the global clean energy economy by building secure and resilient chains, as well as deeper cooperation on critical and emerging technologies.
Brussels and Washington are discussing an agreement on critical minerals that would allow European-based businesses to receive certain subsidies, provided that they, in turn, provide the United States with some of the raw materials needed for manufacturing. This would replicate a similar agreement between the United States and Japan.
At the same time, the US and EU are reportedly in advanced negotiations on what they call a "global sustainable steel and aluminium arrangement". This is to prevent the United States and the European Union from re-imposing tariffs on steel and aluminum. The tariffs were frozen in an interim bilateral agreement in October 2021 that suspended measures taken by Trump in 2018 when he imposed tariffs on European imports.
If such an ambitious deal is finally reached, it could create political space for Washington and Brussels to reach a compromise on the EU's recently introduced carbon border adjustment mechanism.
In addition, Biden has publicly downplayed several long-standing contradictions in the U.S.-Germany relationship that Trump has been highlighting, particularly those related to defense spending.
It is clear that under Biden and Scholz, there could be many positives in the US-Germany partnership, especially in the case of new agreements in areas such as critical minerals, steel and aluminum.
However, there is still some uncertainty – diplomatic relations between the two countries could plummet if Trump wins a second term in November. (Compiled by Qing Songzhu).