Though tensions with Canada remain, President Trump is ready to close on a new NAFTA deal with our southern neighbor with a particular emphasis on auto trade to keep more production jobs in the U.S. and helping Mexico with flexibility on anti-dumping claims on seasonal produce.
According to a Los Angeles Times report, Mexico is eager to lock in a new deal before its (socialist) president-elect Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador takes office while the Trump administration wants a “win” before midterm ballots are cast here in the states.
Deal-making progress is expected with Canada after the bilateral negotiations between the U.S. and Mexico are completed.
More from the Los Angeles Times:
U.S. congressional rules on trade require that there be a 90-day period between the administration’s notification of a deal and the actual signing of an agreement. Mexico’s new president, Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador, was elected in July and takes the oath of office Dec. 1. That means a NAFTA agreement would need to be announced by the end of August to allow for the 90 days to pass and for the current Mexican president, Enrique Peña Nieto, to sign the pact before Lopez Obrador takes office.
But that leaves only about two weeks for Lighthizer and his team to reach an accord with their Canadian counterparts. And by most accounts, that will be tough to do.
