Thursday, October 23, 2025

Foreign Affairs official says ‘unjustified demands’ by US complicating trade deal

A foreign affairs official has criticized the United States for complicating the ratification process for the new North American trade deal by making unjustified demands.

Interviewed today at a Mexico-Canada forum in Mexico City, Jesús Seade said the United States government and Congress should instead be praising Mexico for changing its labor laws so that they are consistent with provisions set out in the trade pact known as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

“My concern is that as the clock ticks, they continue to make demands that are sometimes not very coordinated and certainly not at all justified. The labor reform we did is a revolution and there is great commitment on the part of the president. They should be celebrating that we’re doing something good,” he said.

“While they continue with their rounds of shadow boxing, the deadlines are approaching. If it isn’t approved before August, it will be much more complicated in the fall,” Seade added.

The foreign affairs undersecretary for North America said that “Plan B” for Mexico was to at least have the lower house of the U.S. Congress approve the USMCA within the next two and half months.

“That’s where the political difficulty is; if they approve it before the end of July, I’m happy,” Seade said.

While criticizing United States demands – which he didn’t specify – the official laid out one of Mexico’s own, reiterating that Congress will not ratify the three-way trade pact unless the U.S. withdraws its tariffs on Mexican steel and aluminum which took effect on June 1 last year.

“They have to be lifted before it’s ratified . . . It’s completely incongruent but they know that,” Seade said.

Canada’s ambassador to Mexico said at today’s event that his country’s government is working closely with the López Obrador administration to convince the United States of the importance of trade relations in North America.

Pierre Alarie said there is a lot of ignorance in the United States about how beneficial trade with Mexico and Canada is to the U.S. economy, especially with regard to jobs.

“There are 15 million jobs generated in the United States because of trade with Canada and Mexico, and the Americans ought to know that,” he said.

Source: Reforma (sp) 

Have something to say? Paid Subscribers get all access to make & read comments.
As the 2025 rainy season concludes, the Mexico City area's Cutzamala System has reached its highest levels in recent years, exceeding 90% of its capacity.

Drought affects just 7.5% of Mexico after summer of exceptional rainfall

0
Though the percentage could possibly rise now that the rainy season is over, it's still almost four times lower than the percentage figure one year ago.
Zhi Dong Zhang mug shots

Chinese fentanyl kingpin ‘Brother Wang’ recaptured in Cuba after escaping from Mexico

0
According to Milenio, Zhang acted as a "link" between cartels in Mexico and criminal groups in China, where precursor chemicals for the production of fentanyl and other illicit drugs are sourced.
A Lala truck delivering products

Mexican cross-border truckers rush to improve their English to meet Trump mandate  

3
Despite the hardline enforcement, most drivers seem to be OK with the need for proficiency in English. But learning it is no simple task. Is AI help on the way?
BETA Version - Powered by Perplexity