Trade negotiators from the United States and Mexico will meet on Tuesday (21) for the third round of bilateral talks, aiming to advance the review of the North American trade agreement, known as USMCA, international agencies report. The negotiations take place as US President Donald Trump imposes a new series of punitive tariffs on Canada. The talks, from which Canada is excluded, are scheduled to last three days and constitute the first formal discussions on changes to the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) since the Trump administration refused to extend the regional trade pact, in effect for six years, on July 1. The move set a deadline for the USMCA's expiration in 10 years, unless the three countries reach an agreement on improvements. Sectoral groups have urged Trump to keep the trilateral framework intact and the largely tariff-free access that underpins nearly $1.6 trillion in annual trade. Mexico's new ambassador to the US, Roberto Lazzeri, stated. On Friday, it was announced that Mexico hopes to reach a new agreement by the end of the year and believes the U.S. and Canada share the same goal. “Every moment we lose, I think we are losing competitiveness, market share, and investment; therefore, it is in the interest of all three of us to reach a solution soon,” said Lazzeri, a former investment banker and former official at the Mexican Ministry of Finance. He added that Mexico shares the Trump administration's goal of bringing more industries to North America, including the U.S. Another key objective for Mexico is to obtain some reduction in the national security tariffs imposed by Trump, of 25% on Mexican automobiles and 50% on its steel and aluminum products—tariffs that also apply to Canada.
This text was translated by machine from Brazilian Portuguese.