澳门六合彩

The launching of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) negotiations on August 16, 2017 begs a serious and thorough discussion given what it is at stake for the three countries in terms of trade, investment, economic integration, competitiveness, jobs, shared production, and innovation. While a NAFTA modernization has been long overdue, this renegotiation was motivated by the wrong reasons; i.e. to address the United States鈥� concern regarding its trade deficit with Mexico and to return lost jobs to the U.S. manufacturing sector. 

When the NAFTA negotiations were launched in Washington, DC, United States Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer鈥檚 remarks underscored 鈥渢he huge trade deficits, the lost manufacturing jobs, the businesses that have closed or moved鈥� as a result NAFTA.  In sharp contrast, Canada and Mexico framed this process as an opportunity to modernize the Agreement to better respond to the 21st century economy. Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland and Mexico鈥檚 Secretary of Economy, Ildefonso Guajardo, used their opening speeches to reiterate that NAFTA has benefited the three partners and considered it a very favorable pact. In direct contrast with Trump鈥檚 and Lighthizer鈥檚 statements, Secretary Guajardo called the NAFTA a 鈥渟trong success for all parties,鈥� while also stressing that Mexico is not the problem but rather 鈥渢he solution to the region鈥檚 competitiveness.鈥�  Given these diametrically opposing views and goals, Mexico and Canada have a very hard act to play in order to come up with an agreement that responds to their own interests while also addressing the United States鈥� key concerns.