[CTC] Trump, Ambassadors on Mexico / NAFTA

Tue Feb 14 06:30:09 PST 2017

Couple articles below…

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/02/13/donald-trump-justin-trudeau-canada-nafta/97843778/

Trump soft pedals NAFTA criticism with Canadian PM, says Mexico the issue

WASHINGTON — Pledging "bridges of commerce" with Canada, President Trump told Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday he wants relatively minor changes to the North American Free Trade Agreement, adding that most of his problems with the massive trade deal involve the deal's third partner, Mexico.

"We'll be tweaking it," Trump told reporters about NAFTA, which he attacked during last year's presidential campaign as a "disaster" that sent U.S. jobs to other countries. Trump did not specify what changes he would seek, but said most of the agreement's impact on U.S.-Canada trade relations is "a much less severe situation than what's taken place on the southern border:" Mexico.

"We're going to work with Mexico," Trump said. "We're going to make it a fair deal for both parties."

As for Canada, Trump praised Trudeau for talks that ranged from trade to counter-terrorism. "We should coordinate closely and we will coordinate closely to protect jobs in our hemisphere and keep wealth on our continent and to keep everyone safe," the U.S. president said of his northern neighbor.

Trudeau, sometimes speaking in French, praised the trade pact, and said he had "productive" discussions with Trump, including the topic of "cross-border commerce." He called Canada an "essential partner" of the United States. Trudeau noted that millions of jobs on both sides of the border are depend on trade.

"Relationships between neighbors are pretty complex, and we won't always agree on everything," he said, but added that at the end of the day, he believes the U.S.-Canadian relationship will remain strong.

The two leaders also announced new efforts to fight drug abuse and help more women start and operate their own businesses.

Trump's pledge to re-work NAFTA — or void it altogether if he does not get satisfactory concessions — hovered over his first face-to-face meeting with Trudeau.

On the campaign trail, Trump regularly attacked NAFTA as a bad trade deal that sent U.S. jobs to Mexico and Canada.

Trump has already clashed with Mexico, mostly over Trump's planned wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Trump, 70, and Trudeau, 45, are virtual polar opposites politically. Trudeau leads the Liberal Party of Canada, half his Cabinet is female and he is a backer of free trade. Canada has also accepted 40,000 Syrian refugees.

Trump’s immigration order — temporarily stayed by a federal court panel — would bar any Syrian refugees from traveling to the United States, only two of his 16 official Cabinet picks are women, and he has signaled he will take a more protectionist stance on trade.

At the joint press conference Monday, Trudeau demurred when asked for his thoughts on Trump's order.

"The last thing Canadians expect is for me to come down and lecture another country on how they choose to govern themselves," he said.

Trudeau suggested both he and Trump want the same thing — free and open countries where citizens are safe from terrorism — but are taking different approaches.

Trump said he wants a "big, beautiful open door, and we want people to come in," but he said "we cannot let the wrong people in," and Americans want that kind of security.

"We are getting such praise for our stance, and it’s a stance of common sense," he said.  "We are going to pursue it vigorously."

Trudeau, the son of former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, arrived at the White House shortly before 11 a.m. ET.

After an Oval Office meeting, Trump and Trudeau attended what each side billed as a major act of bilateral cooperation: A "roundtable discussion" on "the advancement of women entrepreneurs and business leaders." Presidential daughter Ivanka Trump, who has made women's issues a major part of her portfolio, will also participate.

The president and prime minister announced the creation of a permanent "United States-Canada Council for the Advancement of Women Business Leaders-Female Entrepreneurs."

Trump said "we need to make it easier" for women to create and lead businesses, while Trudeau talked about bringing down "significant barriers" to women entrepreneurs.

The president and prime minister also had a "working lunch" prior to the news conference at which trade again became a major topic.

Trade with Canada totaled an estimated $662.7 billion in 2015, according to the U.S. Trade Representative. The United States exported $337.3 billion worth of goods and services and imported $325.4 billion worth.

Trudeau visited the White House last March, when he and then-President Barack Obama announced a new border agreement aimed at streamlining regulations and reducing bottlenecks at border crossings.

Trudeau joked during the visit that Canada would welcome Americans seeking to flee the United States if Trump was elected, but he was more diplomatic about the prospect of a Trump presidency at a White House press conference.

"The relationship, the friendship between our two countries goes far beyond any two individuals or any ideologies," Trudeau said. "I have tremendous confidence in the American people and look forward to working with whomever they choose to send to this White House later this year."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/global-opinions/wp/2017/02/13/ambassadors-treat-mexico-as-a-strategic-partner/?utm_term=.9f808753e379 <https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/global-opinions/wp/2017/02/13/ambassadors-treat-mexico-as-a-strategic-partner/?utm_term=.9f808753e379>
Ambassadors: Treat Mexico as a strategic partner

By John D. Negroponte, James R. Jones, Jeffrey Davidow, Antonio Garza, Carlos Pascual and Earl Anthony Wayne February 13 at 3:18 PM
 <>John D. Negroponte was U.S. ambassador to Mexico from 1989 to 1993. James R. Jones was U.S. ambassador to Mexico from 1993 to 1997. Jeffrey Davidow was U.S. ambassador to Mexico from 1998 to 2002. Antonio Garza was U.S. ambassador to Mexico from 2002 to 2009. Carlos Pascual was U.S. ambassador to Mexico from 2009 to 2011. Earl Anthony Wayne was U.S. ambassador to Mexico from 2011 to 2015.

Mexico is of enormous importance to the United States. We have strong strategic interests in a relationship of respect and collaboration with Mexico while we work through differences on trade, security and migration.

U.S.-Mexico relations touch the daily lives of more Americans than ties with any other country, whether through culture, commerce or travel. U.S. prosperity and the security of our homeland are deeply affected by the type of relationship we have with our southern neighbor.

Much can be improved between Mexico and the United for the good of both countries, but tackling these challenges need not be a win-lose proposition. Both countries can gain security and prosperity. Reviving the animosity and “distance” that characterized our relationship in the 1970s or ’80s is dangerous and runs counter to our interests.

The six of us have served as U.S. ambassadors to Mexico, managing the ever-improving relationship across Democratic and Republican administrations since the late 1980s. We have seen firsthand the strategic value of working cooperatively with Mexico to tackle common problems, including crime, terrorism and global economic competition. Along the way, Mexico has become a more democratic and prosperous country, making it a better and more reliable partner.

We are now deeply concerned to see this foundation shaken. Public attitudes <https://www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/2017-01/Obama_and_Trump_Slides.pdf> in both countries are being soured by exaggerated public accusations. Mexicans believe that their national “dignity” has been insulted. Champions of closer cooperation with the United States are on the defensive. Nationalist voices are gaining traction. This is not in the United States’ long-term interest.

The United States and Mexico started our modern journey to closer partnership with the 1993 North American Free Trade Agreement. Collectively, the six of us have worked through every stage of NAFTA. This is not a perfect agreement, but neither is it the job-killer some have construed. Since NAFTA was signed in 1993, U.S. jobs linked to trade with Mexico grew from 700,000 <http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2016/04/memo-to-a-new-president-how-best-to-organize-the-national-security-council> to 4.9 million <http://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/wilson-center-study-finds-5-million-us-jobs-depend-trade-mexico>. The value of our two-way trade has grown sixfold, reaching $584 billion <https://ustr.gov/countries-regions/americas/mexico> in 2015.  Mexico is now the second-largest <https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/statistics/highlights/top/top1512yr.html> market for U.S. exports, larger than our exports to China, Japan and Germany combined. Mexico is the third-largest buyer of U.S. agricultural products. We build many things together, with parts crossing borders in both directions — so much so that finished Mexican manufactured exports were found to have 40 percent U.S. content <https://www.wilsoncenter.org/publication/working-together-economic-ties-between-the-united-states-and-mexico>.

U.S. jobs moved to Mexico <http://www.bancomext.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/ceb8ingles.pdf>, but others were created by NAFTA. A 2013 study estimated that the United States is $127 billion <https://piie.com/publications/piie-briefings/nafta-20-years-later> richer each year because of extra NAFTA trade. New studies have made clear that the big causes of U.S. manufacturing job losses are automation and trade with China <http://www.nber.org/papers/w21906>, not NAFTA. NAFTA can be improved to help boost the US economy in such areas as “rule of origin,” services, e-commerce, border inefficiencies and labor standards. Those are the issues that should be negotiated based on facts to strengthen a long-term relationship that makes both countries more competitive.

Energy deserves special mention. Under NAFTA, Mexico’s nationalized energy sector was still off limits to US companies. In 2013, Mexico opened investment and trade in oil, natural gas, electricity, renewables and refined fuels to U.S. and other companies. Today, the U.S. exports more natural gas <http://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.cfm?page=natural_gas_imports>and gasoline <http://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/PET_MOVE_EXPC_A_EPMOF_EEX_MBBL_M.htm> to Mexico than to any country. In December, major U.S. companies won licenses to develop Mexico’s oil reserves, while others are partners in new pipelines. These openings make North America more energy secure.

The U.S. deficit with Mexico gets more public attention than it deserves. Mexico represents 8 percent of our deficit <http://www.wsj.com/articles/gloom-descends-on-mexicos-free-trade-capital-1485449547>. Our deficits with China, the European Union and Japan are larger.  The deficit with Mexico declined by more than 40 percent between 2010 and 2015, even as our trade grew 35 percent.

A sharp point of contention has been over the border wall and migration. The great irony is that today there are 1.1 million <http://www.pewhispanic.org/2016/09/20/overall-number-of-u-s-unauthorized-immigrants-holds-steady-since-2009/> fewer undocumented Mexicans in the United States than in 2007. Apprehensions <http://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/media-resources/stats> of Mexicans at the border have reached the lowest levels of this century. Mexico has joined us to manage the surge in migrants from Central America, deporting more than 165,000 from its southern border <https://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/files/assets/documents/2016-Apr/FY%202015%20CBP%20PAR_508C.pdf> in 2015, more than the United States did. Publicly demanding that Mexico pay for a wall that Mexicans don’t think is needed has fueled anti-American nationalism. That limits the capacity of Mexico’s government to work with us to find solutions.

Common borders also made Mexico and the United States partners in national security. Ever since 9/11, Mexico and the United States have worked closely to stop potential terrorists from entering the United States. We also work to improve the fight against illicit trafficking. The trafficking of heroin <https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/12/08/heroin-deaths-surpass-gun-homicides-for-the-first-time-cdc-data-show/?utm_term=.447bdde0cca6>and other drugs into the United States and the smuggling of weapons and drug profits into Mexico fuel violence, corruption and deaths <http://laopinion.com/2017/01/26/homicidios-en-mexico-aumentaron-22-en-2016/> in both countries. Still, during the years of our collective service, law enforcement officials have built trust, competency and legal channels to act against criminal networks. That cooperation needs to be strengthened, not undermined.

Together, the authors have witnessed profound and positive changes in the U.S.-Mexico relationship over the past quarter century. We urge that the United States engage in serious, fact-based negotiations over differences on trade and other issues. Intimidating or denigrating remarks make it harder to reach outcomes that support American economic and security interests and fuel anti-Americanism in Mexico. Workers, companies and communities of both countries will prosper with a long-term strategic partnership between the United States and Mexico. Let’s keep building it.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.citizenstrade.org/pipermail/ctcfield-citizenstrade.org/attachments/20170214/70bd8f2c/attachment.htm>