Mexico says it will not seek separate U.S. trade deal

Mexico’s foreign secretary said Friday that his country is not looking to strike a bilateral trade deal with the United States if that would weaken the trilateral CanadaUnited StatesMexico Agreement, also known as CUSMA. Speaking alongside Canada’s foreign affairs minister Anita Anand in Ottawa, Roberto Velasco Álvarez said the three countries agree that the agreement’s trilateral structure should remain in place, even as each government works through its own bilateral issues with Washington. The comments came after U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said this week that negotiations with Mexico are moving ahead more quickly than talks with Canada. Canadian officials have said the two countries are dealing with different issues in their separate discussions with the U.S., and Anand said the progress of each track is difficult to compare. The meeting also included a Canadian funding announcement for joint priorities with Mexico, including efforts to fight transnational crime.