The annual high-level meeting between Mexico, the United States and Canada on the T-MEC, which will take place this Thursday in Cancun, will leave out controversial issues such as disputes over the policies of the government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador in agricultural and energy matters, among others.
In a conference call, officials from the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) argued that during the meeting the consultations that the governments of Joe Biden and Justin Trudeau requested of Mexico on these issues will be avoided. , as well as the panel between both partners for access to dairy products.
It may interest you: AMLO decree collapses imports of white corn from the US
This Thursday, the Secretary of the Economy, Raquel Buenrostro, will meet with the head of the USTR, Katherine Tai, and the Minister of International Trade of Canada, Mary Ng, as part of the requirements within the T-MEC rules, which replaced to the North American Free Trade Agreement in 2020.
The annual meeting sets the tone for the partners to discuss matters related to the trade pact. However, US officials said that trade issues that are the subject of consultation or arbitration are handled through separate channels and under USMCA’s dispute settlement rules. But they insisted on the serious concerns of the US administration about Mexican policies.
In July of last year, the United States and Canada respectively submitted requests to initiate a dispute settlement procedure in relation to Mexico’s energy policy, in which both countries considered nationalist and detrimental to foreign companies by favoring Pemex and the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE).
Almost a year later, last June, the governments of both nations requested, also separately, the start of dispute settlement consultations with Mexico under the USMCA due to the 4T government’s biotechnology policies that prohibit access transgenic corn for human consumption.
“I wouldn’t say they’re walled off, but certainly the main space to discuss them is in the actual consultations,” said one of the USTR officials.
Likewise, he said that the commercial representatives of the three countries will discuss the ongoing application of the T-MEC, this with a view to reviewing the commercial agreement, and its possible updates, which is scheduled for 2026. Similarly, a new subcommittee created last year on competitiveness and supply chains will also meet to update officials on the work to facilitate trade flows during crisis situations and avoid disruptions.
This is the third high-level annual meeting around the T-MEC where, in addition to the authorities, the participation of the private initiative is expected.
➡️ Subscribe to our Newsletter and receive the most relevant notes in your email
The Business Coordinating Council (CCE) confirmed to this newspaper that its president Francisco Cervantes will participate in a round table that will be attended by Secretary Buenrostro, Minister Ng and Ambassador Tai.
Asked about the event’s agenda and the participation of other federal government officials, the Ministry of Economy said that it will be closed-door meetings and that there was no list of those attending the event.
With information from Reuters
2023-07-06 11:00:00
#Corn #energy #left #TMEC #meeting #Sol #México
