Climate, China, Buy American to dominate Biden bilateral with PM on Tuesday

China, climate change and Joe Biden’s Buy American measures are likely to dominate when the U.S. president meets with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Tuesday’s virtual conversation between the two leaders will be Biden’s first bilateral meeting as president.

They will compare notes on their shared vision for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, despite Biden’s cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline.

And Trudeau is sure to press Biden for more help in securing the release from China of Canadian detainees Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor.

Canada will also be seeking exemptions from Biden’s protectionist Buy American regime, which favours American contractors and suppliers for U.S. infrastructure projects.

Eric Miller, a Washington consultant and Canada-U. S. expert, says now is the time for Trudeau to push hard to ensure Canadian workers and businesses are exempted from the rules.