Media has learned of Trudeau's plans for trade talks with Britain

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is trying to revive long-delayed trade talks with the United Kingdom amid Ottawa's attempts to strengthen alliances over a possible trade war against the United States, Politico reported on February 5.

U.S. President Donald Trump temporarily suspended duties on Canadian goods on Monday, with Trudeau striking a deal with him to further tighten the fight against illegal migration and drug trafficking at the U.S.-Canada border.

But the threat of U.S. duties continues to hang over Canada, which is why the country's high commissioner to the U.K., Ralph Goodale, said there is an opportunity and good reason for nations to work to diversify trade.

"It would be useful to try again and see what we can accomplish in the short term. If we can add something else, so much the better," Goodale said, noting that the priority areas would be science, technology, innovation, quantum computing and artificial intelligence.

According to the newspaper, Britain wants to diversify trade beyond Europe, while Canada is looking to move beyond dependence on the United States.

"We realize we're dealing with a new government with a different set of priorities and it may take them some time to do the necessary internal reviews and that's understandable," Goodale said.

Resuming talks could be difficult for both the U.K. government and Canada, where there is currently an intra-party battle for the Liberal leadership ahead of this year's upcoming general election.

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Trump signed an executive order on Feb. 1 imposing trade tariffs of 25 percent on goods from Canada, China and Mexico. At the same time, he promised to impose duties on goods from the EU. With this decision, Trump seeks to reduce the flow of the opioid fentanyl across the border, as well as the flow of migrants.

Later, on February 3, the US President agreed to suspend tariffs against Canada for 30 days. Trudeau, in turn, promised Trump to spend nearly $1 billion to secure the border with the United States.

On the same day, Kevin Hassett, director of the White House National Economic Council, said that the tariffs imposed by Trump on Mexico, Canada and China are aimed at fighting fentanyl and not at launching a trade war. He said Canada misunderstood the wording in Trump's executive order, interpreting it as the start of a trade war.

Chinese economist Andrew Leung, for his part, told Izvestia that the tariffs that Trump is imposing on imports of goods from China and Mexico will lead to an increase in consumer prices in the United States itself.