US, Mexico agree to begin USMCA Joint Review talks

The U.S. and Mexico have agreed to begin talks on possible United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement reforms.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer met with Mexican Secretary of Economy Marcelo Ebrard on Jan. 28 to discuss bilateral trade relations and the upcoming USMCA Joint Review, according to a USTR statement.

Under the trilateral trade deal that took effect in 2020, the U.S., Mexico and Canada must launch a joint review of the trade pact by July 1, its sixth anniversary. The countries must confirm their intention to renew it for a 16-year period or make modifications.

“Both sides recognized substantial progress in recent months and agreed to continue intensive engagement to address non-tariff barriers,” according to the statement. “In addition, they agreed to begin formal discussions on possible structural and strategic reforms in the context of the first USMCA Joint Review, including stronger rules of origin for key industrial goods, enhanced collaboration on critical minerals, and increased external trade policy alignment to defend workers and producers in the United States and Mexico and to combat the relentless dumping of manufactured goods in our region.”

No timetable was given in the statement, which also did not say if Canada would be involved.

USTR held a public hearing in preparation for the review in December. Greer told lawmakers then that the USMCA is not equipped to deal with surges of exports and investment from non-market economies such as China.