Next Wednesday the first work tables will begin in Washington towards the review of the free trade agreement between Mexico, the United States and Canada (T-MEC)revealed the Undersecretary of Foreign Trade of the Ministry of Economy, Luis Rosendo Gutiérrez.
“This month the tables begin, we will talk with counterparts from both the United States and Canada (…) There are very important issues to discuss such as the rules of origin, since we try to ensure that more Mexican exports are with components of the national chain,” explained the official in the context of the 30th Mexican Foreign Trade Congress, organized by the Mexican Foreign Trade Council (Comce).
He acknowledged that unlike 2018, when the T-MECnow face a more complex scenario, “but we are preparing to have a very good review of the treaty.”
He said that the work tables will be attended by a commission from the Ministry of Economy, headed by the head of the department, Marcelo Ebrardand they will remain three or four days in the United States, and then move to Canada, in order to establish a clearer position.
“The priority is to maintain what we already havethe great benefits in tariffs and trade with the United States,” he said.
He stressed that they are also reviewing the labor mechanism to make it more expeditious and strengthen supervision over companies that fail to comply.
Luis Rosendo Gutiérrez stressed that the United States is interested in bringing a good part of its supply chains from Asia to the region, and Mexico has everything to offer. “We can be, let’s say, the factory of North America”.
For his part, the Undersecretary of Industry and Commerce, Vidal LLerenas, assured that the T-MEC It will be reviewed, but not renegotiated, and he maintained that Mexico is the appropriate country for the relocation of Asian investments.
He pointed out that the meeting that President Claudia Sheinbaum held with directors of the main Mexico, United States and Canada, “It was an important boost to the country”.
Unity concept
For the president of the Mexican Business Council of Foreign Trade, Investment and Technology (Comce), Sergio Contreras, the review of the T-MEC It should be an opportunity to “make our American and Canadian partners understand that we have to start having this concept of unity”.
“Today, for two years we have been the main trading partner of the United States, the leading power, and we have a very important degree of industrial integration in the face of this new vision that presents the future of foreign trade through foreign investment from the nearshoring and innovation both on a global and national scale, since it was imperative that the concept evolve again,” he said.
In this sense, the business leader highlighted that Comce’s new vision corresponds to the organization’s commitment to innovation, sustainability and inclusion of foreign trade.
“We must continue building, from this congress, a more competitive Mexico prepared for the challenges of tomorrow, because the future of foreign trade, foreign investment and innovation is not expected, it is worked on,” said Valentin Diez Morodo, former president of Comce. .
With information from: Liliana Padilla and Silvia Arellano
