CANADA/MEXICO/NAFTA/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Canadian and Mexican trade officials in Montreal on Sunday [1-21-18] began laying out proposals aimed at convincing their U.S. counterparts not to put an end to the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Delegations from Canada and Mexico will present an array of responses to some of the Trump administration’s most hard-line demands for changing the trade pact, in what many observers believe could be a make-or-break round of talks. Negotiators’ initial focus will be on Washington’s demands for increased U.S.-made content for cars made in North America.
The goal in the Montreal talks, according to Canadian and Mexican officials and people briefed on the matter, is to make enough progress that U.S. President Donald Trump won’t be tempted to pull the plug on negotiations…
Despite the recent positive comments from the White House, many U.S. lawmakers and business groups who support Nafta continue to worry Mr. Trump could eventually take steps to exit from the pact.“
-Paul Viera, William Mauldin, and Juan Montes, “Canada and Mexico Seek to Head Off U.S. Exit From Nafta at Montreal Talks,” The Wall Street Journal online, Jan. 22, 2018 09:33am