Mexico City (AFP) – Mexico will fight to keep its free trade agreement with the United States and Canada in the face of President Donald Trump’s trade war, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Wednesday. “We will defend the USMCA because it has been beneficial for the three countries. If President Trump takes a different approach, we will be prepared for any circumstance, but clearly we want the USMCA to remain,” she said at her morning news conference.
The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) replaced the previous NAFTA accord in July 2020, after Trump successfully pushed for a renegotiation during his first term in office. It is due to be reviewed by July next year. Mexico replaced China in 2023 as the largest trading partner with the United States, which buys more than 80 percent of its exports.
Sheinbaum has called the USMCA the “only way we can compete with Asian countries, particularly China,” and “one of the best trade agreements in history” — echoing Trump’s previous high praise of the deal. Trump has announced various tariffs targeting Mexico, as well as several policy reversals, as part of his global trade war. While he left Mexico off the list of nations facing his steep “reciprocal tariffs,” its carmakers as well as steel and aluminum exporters still face duties.
The preferential treatment given to Mexico and Canada showed the importance of the USMCA, of which Trump “speaks highly,” Sheinbaum said. “The USMCA has been maintained in many areas, with the exception of some issues in the automotive, steel and aluminum sectors, which we are working on,” she added.
© 2024 AFP
