Negotiators for the U.S., Canada, and Mexico are meeting in Mexico City Wednesday to begin the fifth round of talks to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement.
In a joint announcement, they said they would increase the periods between talks to “provide negotiators with enough time to analyze the proposals that all three countries have tabled so far and to conduct internal consultations.”
The announcement highlighted the tense nature of the discussions. The Trump administration has sought radical changes to the 1993 deal, including an expiration provision, allowing countries to opt out of its investor-state dispute settlement system, and increasing the requirement for when an item can be labeled “made in America.” The proposals have been opposed by Canada and Mexico, which would see severe disruption to their industries under the changes.
The lack of progress has sparked concerns that President Trump will follow through with earlier threats to pull the U.S. out of the deal.
The fourth round concluded last month in Arlington Va., with the respective countries’ top negotiators publicly trading barbs. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said after that round that he was “surprised and disappointed by the resistance” to the proposals. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said this month that his department is preparing “contingency plans” for the U.S. agriculture industry should Trump decide to withdraw from the deal.
