The Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs of Mexico for North America, Jesus Seade Kuri, key negotiator of the Free Trade Agreement between Mexico, the United States and Canada (T-MEC) on Monday called for California ratification of the agreement by the US Congress.
Seade Kuri said at a press conference in Los Angeles that the T-MEC (formerly NAFTA or NAFTA, although also known in the United States as USMCA) presents “advantages and opportunities” for US businessmen interested in exchanging trade with Mexico. .
The senior Mexican official also stressed that last weekend held a meeting with the mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti, to establish a joint commission between Mexico and the Californian city, with the idea of developing important mutual initiatives.
“The Mexico-Los Angeles Commission will bring together leaders from both sides to develop concrete initiatives in key sectors with mutual benefit,” Seade said, adding that the agreement’s implementation will offer valuable trade and investment opportunities for California businessmen.
Seade also met earlier this month with representatives of the Democratic caucus, whom he asked to endorse the T-MEC.
As stated today, the negotiation of this treaty, which was signed on November 30, 2018, required a lot of effort and many hours of talks and agreements, so it is not viable to think about going back to the negotiation stage.
The changes that some Democratic legislators want to make to the treaty can be achieved through the legal regulation of Congress, argued the Mexican representative.
For Seade, the agreement “is absolutely necessary for the three countries, it is very good for investment and has very important social aspects such as anti-corruption and labor (impulse).”
The important official of the Government of Mexico is part of a forum of experts that today will discuss “Economic Prosperity in the Americas,” as part of the 2019 Global Conference held in Los Angeles by the Milken Institute.
According to a statement from the Consulate of Mexico in this city, Seade’s work visit seeks to “strengthen high-level ties with business leaders and federal and state authorities.”
Unlike the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which eliminated most of the trade barriers between the United States, Mexico and Canada and, according to its critics, stimulated the transfer of the production of US companies to Mexico by hand of cheaper work, the T-MEC includes clauses that seek that this production returns to the US.
On August 12, 1992, after 14 months of negotiations, Canada, USA. and Mexico announce the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA or NAFTA).
On December 17 of that year, the US president, George H.W. Bush; Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari sign NAFTA in separate ceremonies. (EFEUSA) .-
