CANADA/MEXICO/NAFTA/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Negotiations to revamp the North American Free Trade Agreement survived what was seen as the crucial sixth round, with the U.S., Canada and Mexico tackling difficult issues even as tensions flared between the U.S. and Canada over auto-industry rules…
Still, Mr. Lighthizer and his Mexican and Canadian counterparts nodded to progress in the talks at the official end of a six-day round of Nafta negotiations in Canada’s second-largest city… The stakes were high going into the sixth installment of talks, amid worry among some officials, business groups and trade watchers that a lack of progress on key U.S. demands could prompt President Donald Trump to follow through on his threat to begin America’s withdrawal from the 24-year-old agreement.
The three countries are under some time pressure. Some U.S. lawmakers are worried that disagreements over Nafta or other trade issues could affect their 2018 election campaigns. Extending the talks past late March, the latest official deadline, could also lead to political problems in Mexico, which holds presidential and congressional elections July 1.
The Trump administration months ago unveiled divisive proposals intended to bring manufacturing jobs back, and both Canada and Mexico have recently countered the U.S. proposals with ideas of their own, reassuring observers who worried the talks would grind to a stalemate.”
-Paul Viera and William Mauldin, “U.S. Cites Nafta Progress But Rejects Canadian Proposals,” The Wall Street Journal online, Jan. 29, 2018 04:19pm