A deal with the US is not the "be all and end all" of trade agreements, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has said.
A US-UK trade deal was touted as the one of the biggest prizes of leaving the EU during the 2016 referendum campaign but since Joe Biden's election as US president, the prospect of a swift deal has all but disappeared as his administration conducts a wider review of trade policies.
"I don't agree ... that is the be all and end all of trade," Ms Truss said at an event on the sidelines of the Conservative Party's annual conference, when asked about the prospects of a trade agreement with the US.
"My message to the Americans is 'we're ready when you are ready' but there's a whole world out there, there are lots of fast-growing parts of the world who want to do business with Britain and there's a full pipeline of trade deals we are negotiating."
Ms Truss, who was international trade secretary until September's reshuffle, said there was a foreign policy need for the UK, US and allies to trade with developing countries to prevent them being drawn into the orbit of "authoritarian regimes".
China has used its "belt and road" initiative to forge economic links with countries throughout the developing world, financing infrastructure projects to help boost its influence.
Ms Truss told the Telegraph's Chopper's Politics podcast event: "What I think is really important, this goes to broader foreign policy, is that we, the Americans, the Australians - our friends and allies - are reaching out to developing countries to trade with them.
"Because if we are not reaching out to them, who is? Well, the answer is it's authoritarian regimes who don't have their best interests at heart, who don't believe in freedom and democracy like we do."
She said China had to "play by the rules" on the international stage.
"My view is the way we challenge authoritarian regimes across the world is we do it through strength.
"This is why infrastructure agreements with developing countries are so important, so they are not drawn into the orbit of authoritarian regimes.
"It's why trade agreements are so important, because we want our trade to be with like-minded partners.
"Of course we have to trade with China, it's an important trading partner, but it has to be reliable trade and there can't be intellectual property violation, there can't be forced technology transfer."
