<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><i class="">Two articles below...<br class=""></i><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-trade-nafta/u-s-chamber-warns-u-s-demands-could-torpedo-nafta-talks-idUSKBN1CF0WV" style="color: rgb(149, 79, 114);" class="">https://www.reuters.com/article/us-trade-nafta/u-s-chamber-warns-u-s-demands-could-torpedo-nafta-talks-idUSKBN1CF0WV</a><o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 22.5pt 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline;"><b class=""><span style="font-size: 30pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(63, 63, 64);" class="">U.S. Chamber warns U.S. demands could torpedo NAFTA talks<o:p class=""></o:p></span></b></p><div style="margin: 0in 99pt 0.0001pt 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; color: rgb(113, 115, 117);" class="">Reuters Staff<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 99pt 0.0001pt 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline;" class=""><span style="font-size: 8.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(113, 115, 117); text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 0.75pt;" class="">OCTOBER 10, 2017 / 5:05 AM / UPDATED 6 HOURS AGO</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; color: rgb(113, 115, 117);" class=""><o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 110.25pt 0.0001pt 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline;" class=""><span style="font-size: 8.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(243, 112, 33); text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 1.8pt;" class="">3 MIN READ<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 22.5pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: 16.5pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; color: rgb(49, 49, 50);" class="">MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The U.S. Chamber of Commerce urged the Trump administration on Tuesday to moderate its stance in the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, describing some of Washington’s demands as “poison pill proposals” that could doom the talks.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 22.5pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: 16.5pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; color: rgb(49, 49, 50);" class="">Thomas Donohue, the chamber’s president and chief executive, will raise a red flag about the progress of the negotiations, according to advance excerpts of a speech he was due to make in Mexico City on Tuesday morning.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 22.5pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: 16.5pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; color: rgb(49, 49, 50);" class="">The group has argued repeatedly in recent weeks that NAFTA is critical to U.S. industries such as agriculture and manufacturing.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 22.5pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: 16.5pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; color: rgb(49, 49, 50);" class="">“There are several poison pill proposals still on the table that could doom the entire deal,” Donohue said in remarks to be delivered at an event hosted by AmCham Mexico. “All of these proposals are unnecessary and unacceptable.”<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 22.5pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: 16.5pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; color: rgb(49, 49, 50);" class="">The U.S. Chamber did not specify what the most contentious proposals were in the excerpts of the speech, but a number of thorny issues have been highlighted by the Mexican and Canadian governments and the U.S. private sector in recent weeks.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 22.5pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: 16.5pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; color: rgb(49, 49, 50);" class=""> These include U.S. exploration of imposing national content requirements for some products, not just regional thresholds, within certain sectors of industry, such as carmaking.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 22.5pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: 16.5pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; color: rgb(49, 49, 50);" class=""> Auto makers in Mexico say excessive content requirements could do serious damage to the industry’s competitiveness.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 22.5pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: 16.5pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; color: rgb(49, 49, 50);" class=""> In addition, U.S. officials have mooted incorporating a sunset clause in NAFTA that would kill it unless it was renegotiated every five years, as well as eliminating a key dispute resolution mechanism, much to the dismay of Canada.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 22.5pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: 16.5pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; color: rgb(49, 49, 50);" class="">The U.S., Mexico and Canada began renegotiating the 23-year-old trade pact this summer, with a fourth round of talks kicking off this week in Washington.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 22.5pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: 16.5pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; color: rgb(49, 49, 50);" class="">U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to withdraw from NAFTA if he does not win concessions to reduce a U.S. trade deficit of around $64 billion with Mexico.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 22.5pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: 16.5pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; color: rgb(49, 49, 50);" class="">But the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has consistently stressed the pact’s importance.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 22.5pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: 16.5pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; color: rgb(49, 49, 50);" class="">“The existential threat to the North American Free Trade Agreement is a threat to our partnership, our shared economic vibrancy, and clearly the security and safety of all three nations,” Donohue said.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 22.5pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: 16.5pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; color: rgb(49, 49, 50);" class="">In recent months, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has shown a willingness to stand up to the Trump administration’s more extreme proposals, often echoing Mexico’s positions.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 22.5pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: 16.5pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; color: rgb(49, 49, 50);" class="">“I also want it to be clear that the U.S. business community is committed to Mexico, and no matter what happens, we’re not going anywhere,” Donohue said.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 19.5pt; background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: inherit, serif; color: rgb(113, 115, 117);" class="">Reporting by Dave Graham; writing by Julia Love; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><br class=""></div></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt;" class=""><a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article177956951.html" style="color: rgb(149, 79, 114);" class="">http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article177956951.html</a><o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div><h3 style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; background-color: white;" class=""><span style="font-size: 34pt; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-weight: normal;" class="">Hundreds of business leaders call on Trump to stick with NAFTA<o:p class=""></o:p></span></h3><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><span class="ngbylinename"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-transform: uppercase;" class="">BY FRANCO ORDOÑEZ</span></span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-transform: uppercase;" class=""><o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><span class="ngbylineemail"><i class=""><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(158, 156, 161);" class=""><a href="mailto:fordonez@mcclatchydc.com" style="color: rgb(149, 79, 114);" class=""><span style="color: rgb(66, 139, 202);" class="">fordonez@mcclatchydc.com</span></a></span></i></span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(158, 156, 161); text-transform: uppercase;" class=""><o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><p class="published-date" style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(173, 173, 173); text-transform: uppercase;" class="">OCTOBER 10, 2017 8:00 AM<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; background-color: white;" class=""><span class="dateline"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: Georgia, serif; text-transform: uppercase;" class="">WASHINGTON </span></span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 12pt; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: Georgia, serif;" class="">Hundreds of business leaders from all 50 states have joined forces to increase pressure on President Donald Trump to remain in NAFTA.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 12pt; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: Georgia, serif;" class="">In a letter signed by more than 310 state and local chambers of commerce, the business leaders urged Trump to update and improve, but not end, the 23-year-old trilateral agreement with Mexico and Canada that, the leaders say, has contributed to $1.2 trillion annually in trade.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 12pt; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: Georgia, serif;" class="">“We recognize that this agreement is a quarter century old. It makes sense to modernize it,” said Glenn Hamer, president and CEO of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce. “But for the love of God don’t do any harm to something that has been so economically beneficial to states all across America.”<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 12pt; background-color: white;" class=""><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: Georgia, serif;" class="">As negotiators from the United States, Canada and Mexico prepare to kick off a fourth round of talks on Wednesday in Washington, D.C., a feud broke out last week between Trump and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as the size of the stakes came into sharp focus.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 12pt; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: Georgia, serif;" class="">It’s a crucial round in the negotiations as each country’s trade representatives are expected to introduce specific proposals on controversial items, including rules of origin thresholds that would require products treated favorably under the pact to include higher levels of U.S.-produced content and a sunset clause that would automatically terminate the agreement after five years unless all three member countries agreed to extend it.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 12pt; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: Georgia, serif;" class="">U.S. Chamber President Tom Donohue traveled to Mexico Tuesday to “ring the alarm bells” about the administration’s “unnecessary and unacceptable” proposals.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; background-color: rgb(245, 248, 250);" class=""><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(28, 32, 34);" class=""><a href="https://twitter.com/JGodiasMurphy/status/917740337946353664/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.miamiherald.com%2Fnews%2Fnation-world%2Fnational%2Farticle177956951.html" target="_blank" title="View image on Twitter" style="color: rgb(149, 79, 114);" class=""><span class="u-hiddenvisually"><span style="color: rgb(43, 123, 185); text-decoration: none;" class="">View image on Twitter</span></span></a></span><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(28, 32, 34);" class=""><o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; background-color: rgb(245, 248, 250);" class=""><a href="https://twitter.com/JGodiasMurphy/status/917740337946353664/photo/1" style="color: rgb(149, 79, 114);" class=""><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(43, 123, 185); background-color: white; text-decoration: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;" class=""><img apple-inline="yes" id="10A5A88A-4908-4437-A923-A923B5049E06" height="648" width="520" apple-width="yes" apple-height="yes" src="cid:image001.jpg@01D341B3.4EF2E910" class=""></span></a><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(28, 32, 34);" class=""><o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 0px; background-color: white;" class=""><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(28, 32, 34);" class=""><a href="https://support.twitter.com/articles/20175256" title="Twitter Ads info and privacy" style="color: rgb(149, 79, 114);" class=""><span class="u-hiddenvisually"><span style="color: rgb(43, 123, 185); text-decoration: none;" class="">Twitter Ads info and privacy</span></span></a><o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 12pt; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: Georgia, serif;" class="">According to prepared remarks he will deliver to a group of business leaders in Mexico City, Donohue will explain that he was “cautiously optimistic" when negotiations began, but now sees White House demands as "poison pills" that could scuttle the deal.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 12pt; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: Georgia, serif;" class="">"We’ve reached a critical moment," Donohue said, according to the text of the remarks. "And the Chamber has had no choice but to ring the alarm bells."<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 12pt; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: Georgia, serif;" class="">Last week, the Trump administration responded to similar complaints by accusing the chamber of being part of the entrenched Washington elite fighting his work to “drain the swamp.”<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 12pt; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: Georgia, serif;" class="">“The president has been clear that NAFTA has been a disaster for many Americans, and achieving his objectives requires substantial change,” Emily Davis, spokeswoman for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, said in response. “These changes of course will be opposed by entrenched Washington lobbyists and trade associations.”<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 12pt; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: Georgia, serif;" class="">Eric Farnsworth, vice president of the Washington-based Council of the Americas, said it’s about time that the business community has gotten more involved. Business leaders need to make their voices heard at this critical stage, he said, but it’s unclear whether the Trump administration will listen.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 12pt; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: Georgia, serif;" class="">“The business community finally recognizes that NAFTA is at risk,” Farnsworth said. “This is not a drill.”<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 12pt; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;" class=""><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: Georgia, serif;" class="">Canada and Mexico are two of the top three trading partners with the United States and they are America’s two largest export markets. Indeed, the United States exported more than twice as much to Canada and Mexico individually as it did to China in 2016, <a href="https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/statistics/highlights/top/top1612yr.html" target="_blank" title="" style="color: rgb(149, 79, 114);" class=""><span style="color: rgb(66, 139, 202);" class="">according to U.S. government data</span></a>.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><div class=""><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-family: Georgia, serif;" class=""><br class=""></span></div></div></body></html>