| Front Page |
Nayarit News |
Travel | Mexico Insurance Products |
Travel Buddies |
Mexico not looking to cut side deal with U.S. and leave Canada out, foreign secretary says
Mexico’s foreign secretary says his country isn’t looking to cut a deal with the U.S. if it means abandoning the trilateral trade pact with Canada.
When asked Friday if Mexico would go it alone on a trade deal with the U.S., Roberto Velasco Álvarez shook his head and said all three countries that make up the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) have bilateral issues to work on.
“[CUSMA] is a trilateral agreement, and of course the three countries agree that that architecture should continue,” he said during a joint news conference with Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand in Ottawa on Friday.
Mexico has held a number of official negotiations with the U.S. and appears to be further ahead in trade talks than Canada.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Wednesday that formal trade talks with Mexico were progressing, while discussions with Canada had yet to produce concessions sought by President Donald Trump as he pushes to reduce U.S. trade deficits with the two countries.
Mexico’s Secretary of Foreign Affairs Roberto Velasco Álvarez says while Canada and Mexico each have their own bilateral issues to resolve with the United States, the three countries agree that negotiations on the trilateral Canada-U.S.-Mexico trade deal should continue.
Canadian officials have downplayed concerns that Mexico is further ahead, arguing that each country has separate concerns to address with the U.S.
Velasco Álvarez echoed that sentiment on Friday and said Canadians shouldn’t read too much into the bilateral discussions.
“Each of us have bilateral issues,” he said. “Each of us is trying to resolve their bilateral issues in their own way.”
Anand said it is “difficult to compare” how bilateral talks with the U.S. are progressing because both Canada and Mexico are discussing different issues with the Americans.
The three countries had until July 1 to publicly declare that they want to extend the deal another 16 years. Both Canada and Mexico called for the extension, while the U.S. said it wants certain provisions reviewed in the meantime.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said just ahead of the July 1 checkpoint that Mexico has formed a common front with Canada during trade talks.
“We have strengthened our relationship with Canada, there are Canadian business investments in Mexico,” Sheinbaum said in June.
Anand announced $12 million in funding on Friday that she said would go toward shared priorities with Mexico, including combatting transnational crime.
