Houston Chronicle

A representa­tive for Mexico’s private sector says at the NAFTA talks that the end of the deal is a possibilit­y.

- By Eric Martin BLOOMBERG NEWS

As negotiator­s entered their third day of talks to update the North American Free Trade Agreement, the top representa­tive for Mexico’s private sector said the nation needs to be prepared for all scenarios, including the possible end to the deal.

Most Mexican products exported to the U.S. would face a low average tariff of 2.5 percent and 5 percent if NAFTA were to disappear, said Moises Kalach, the trade head for the national business chamber known by its abbreviati­on, CCE. That would leave Mexico no worse off than Europe, China and Japan, who trade more than $1 trillion in total with the U.S. each year despite lacking a freetrade agreement, he said.

Mexico sees a clear opportunit­y for a NAFTA update that also benefits the U.S. and Canada, and the chances of reaching a deal have been improving over time, but the possibilit­y of its end can’t be ruled out, Kalach said Friday in Washington. Mexico should make changes in its own domestic law to provide foreign companies with legal certainty and protection of their investment­s in Mexico similar to those that they have under NAFTA, he said.

The end of NAFTA “would be the loss of a very valuable instrument, a hard hit for Mexico, an unwanted hit, but we would have to move forward,” he said. “We’re a country, we’re not going to disappear. If our situation changes, we need to take steps, regroup, and have a clear vision” for going forward.

President Donald Trump isn’t looking for a “mere tweaking” of NAFTA and will be seeking a major overhaul to a deal he believes has failed Americans, his top trade official said Wednesday.

This week’s talks are set to wrap up Sunday, with the next round set for Mexico in September.

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