Canada’s Prime Minister during the original North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations says the nation is in a better position now than it was 23 years ago to negotiate the agreement. Former Prime Minister Jean Chretien served in office between 1993 and 2003. He said back in 1994, Canada had a surplus of $50 billion a year in trade. But …
NAFTA Nations Reports Progress Despite Tensions
Negotiators in the North American Free Trade Agreement talks say they’re making progress after the third round of talks concluded Wednesday. A Bloomberg report says that talk of progress comes as tensions grow between the U.S. and Canada over aircraft. The U.S. imposed trade duties on Canadian-made aircraft, inflaming tensions with Canada. The nations did make some progress in the …
U.S. Yet to Propose NAFTA Dairy Fix
The United States has yet to propose changes to the dairy issue between the U.S. and Canada as part of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) renegotiation. And, Canada’s lead NAFTA negotiator doesn’t expect the United States to make demands for the dairy sector during the current set of talks that conclude Wednesday in Canada, according to the Toronto …
U.S. Has First NAFTA Finalization Target
The United States now has a tentative timeline to complete the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) negotiations. The Trump administration notified Congress Friday evening of expected changes to trade remedy law as a result of the ongoing trade talks, according to Politico. Notification is required at least 180 days before a trade agreement is signed, under the trade promotion …
Froman Says NAFTA Withdraw a Very Real Prospect
Former U.S. Trade Representative during the Obama administration Michael Froman says a U.S. withdrawal from the North American Free Trade Agreement is still “a very real prospect.” Froman spoke last week in Washington, D.C. at an event hosted by the University of California. Politico reports Froman said: “There certainly is a desire by the president to withdraw from something, and …
Is NAFTA Renegotiation Slowing Other Trade Deals?
An Agri-Pulse report says the North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations may actually be costing agriculture other opportunities. The non-yet-fully-staffed Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is fully occupied with NAFTA. However, groups like the National Pork Producers Council and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association want the Trump administration to push ahead with other trade agreements in order to cut …
NAFTA Talks Head to Canada Next Week
The third round of formal negotiations on the North American Free Trade Agreement gets underway next week in Canada. Round three of the talks are planned in Ottaway September 23rd through September 27th. The meeting follows the first set of talks in Washington, D.C., and the second round of talks held in Mexico City, Mexico earlier this month. However, rounds …
Lighthizer: NAFTA Negotiation at Warp Speed, May Not Be Successful
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said this week that negotiations on the North American Free Trade Agreement are moving at “warp speed,” but may lead to no agreement. Lighthizer said: “we don’t know whether we’re going to get to a conclusion. That’s the problem. We’re running very quickly somewhere.” Lighthizer says the U.S. would like to reach an agreement and …
Mexico Considering Protections in NAFTA
A potential counterproposal by Mexico could limit pork leg imports from the United States under the North American Free Trade Agreement. As renegotiation efforts continue, Mexico may counter a proposal U.S. trade officials are considering that would give seasonal fruit and vegetable farmers added protection, according to Reuters. The U.S. is considering a proposal to protect certain products by making …
Sunset Proposal in NAFTA 2.0
As the next round of negotiations regarding the North American Free Trade Agreement approach, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is considering submitting a “sunset” proposal. That’s a provision that would automatically cancel the deal five years after approval if the three countries don’t agree to renew it. The USTR began circulating the idea among federal agencies last week …