CANADA/MEXICO/NAFTA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday [4-24-18] that a new North American Free Trade Agreement could be agreed quickly, as Canada hailed progress on forging new rules for the auto industry, the pivotal issue in talks to revamp the 24-year-old accord. Ministers from the United States, Canada and Mexico responsible for NAFTA met in Washington to narrow outstanding differences in the hope of tying up a deal in the coming days…While details are not yet clear, a new NAFTA is likely to push the region’s auto makers to source more parts from North America in order to create more jobs. Such an outcome could also raise costs for Detroit’s main car manufacturers. Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer and Mexican Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo are pressing for a quick deal to avoid clashing with Mexico’s July 1 presidential election. To do so, they must reach a compromise on several contentious U.S. demands, including raising the regional automotive content requirements to qualify for tariff-free trade.”
–David Lawder, Jeff Mason, “Trump says NAFTA talks going ‘nicely,’ Canada sees progress on auto rules,” Reuters, April 24, 2018 7:43 am