“In these days of meeting we comment on the progress that both Canada, the United States and Mexico, their customs and authorities responsible for trade facilitation have been making to comply with the provisions of Chapter 7 (trade facilitation)”, declared the undersecretary of la Mora at a press conference after the meeting of the T-MEC Free Trade Committee that took place in Canada.
Among the issues that are part of said chapter are issues of transparency, customs cooperation, exchange of information; In addition to allowing small and medium-sized companies to take advantage of the provisions that make it easier for small shipments to have an expedited clearance, the Mexican official explained.
“The review of the committee’s work that was made these two days reflects the intention that the three countries have to have secure borders, but also competitive borders. There, the federal authorities have been very clear in the sense that we have the commitment to prevent any of the local authorities from deciding to take measures that could affect efficient integration and traffic and transit of goods that, today, is extremely important. to ensure resilient supply chains, supply chains that have been affected by the pandemic,” said Luz María de la Mora.
In April, Texas Governor Greg Abbott imposed inspections by state officials on all commercial traffic from Mexico. What caused delays in the delivery of goods and millionaire losses.
This July 8, Governor Abbott signed an order that empowers state authorities to detain migrants who have illegally crossed the border with Mexico.
The president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, considered this measure as “immoral, political.” He reiterated his rejection that, for political and electoral purposes, “a candidate or a party mistreats migrants and mistreats Mexicans.”
In her speech, the United States trade representative, Katherine Tai, pointed out that there is no magic wand to solve the issues that have caused disruptions in supply chains -Covid-19, high energy and food prices and the invasion of Ukraine-, hence the importance of the implementation of the Treaty between Mexico, the United States and Canada, which has a trade of 1 billion dollars in the region.
Mexico energy policy
The energy issue was also present at the meeting of the T-MEC Free Trade Commission. This is an issue that has been discussed since last year’s meeting in Mexico, Secretary Tai said.
“We will continue to express our concerns,” assured the US official while recalling that in March she sent a letter to Secretary Tatiana Clouthier about the US government concerns on the energy policy of the Mexican government.
Catherine Tai explained that the concerns come from companies in the energy sector, as well as non-governmental organizations (NGOs). “There are options on the table and we will continue to explore these options,” she said.
