Both countries address key trade issues after Washington’s decision to replace the agreement’s automatic extension with annual reviews through 2036.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum stated Thursday that her meeting with USTR (U.S. Trade Representative) Jamieson Greer will focus on reviewing the progress of negotiations on the revision of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), as part of a series of bilateral discussions led by the Ministry of Economy.
“A lot of work has been done; in other words, this isn’t a one-off meeting. It’s part of a series of meetings held by the Ministry of Economy and the team we appointed to support the Ministry of Economy,” the president told the media at the end of her morning press conference.
In addition, Sheinbaum explained that the purpose of the meeting will be to “assess how far we’ve come, what they’re proposing, and the timeline,” as well as to gain firsthand insight into how the United States is approaching the process of revising the USMCA trade agreement.
The meetings, which began on Tuesday and conclude this Thursday in Mexico City, addressed several key issues such as steel and aluminum tariffs, the automotive industry, economic security, labor issues, agriculture, and electronic payment services.
On this last issue, Sheinbaum also said that during the meeting she plans to discuss Mexico’s position regarding compliance with the 1944 Water Treaty, after U.S. lawmakers questioned why the country has not delivered the agreed-upon volumes.
“Yes, because it’s very important. Yesterday in the Senate, they told him that we aren’t meeting the water quota, but we actually are,” she said.
Regarding the possibility of new U.S. tariffs under the mechanism known as Section 301 of U.S. trade law, Sheinbaum declined to speculate on the Trump administration’s decision and stated that talks are continuing through various channels.
“It’s not about addressing every issue he raises. The other issues will be discussed at the negotiating tables (…) We don’t know what the United States is going to do; what we’re seeking is to secure the best possible terms. We’ve done everything humanly possible to ensure we get the best possible terms,” She said.
The third round of discussions marks the first since the United States rejected an automatic 16-year extension of the USMCA and instead chose to implement annual reviews through 2036.
Mexico’s government has expressed its desire for these evaluations to focus solely on ensuring compliance with the agreement rather than becoming recurring negotiations. It also aims to preserving the preferential trade access that allows roughly 85% of Mexican exports to enter the U.S. market without tariffs.
