DA NANG, Vietnam ��If the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement encounters trouble, it could affect other areas of cooperation with the U.S. such as security and immigration, Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray said.
"It's good for Mexico that we cooperate with the U.S. on security and also on migration and many other issues," Videgaray said Saturday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Vietnam. "But it's a fact of life and there is a political reality that a bad outcome on NAFTA will have some impact on that," he said. "We don't want that to happen and we're working hard to get to a good outcome."
Videgaray said earlier in the week that Mexico is prepared for the end of NAFTA if it can't reach a deal with the U.S. and Canada that benefits his nation. The three countries in August began talks to rework the agreement after President Donald Trump pledged during his the 2016 campaign to change or end it. Trump blames NAFTA for millions of lost manufacturing jobs in the U.S. and a more than $60 billion trade deficit with Mexico.
Negotiations with the U.S., scheduled to continue through March, became contentious during the most recent round. In those talks in the Washington area, the U.S. made controversial demands on dairy, automotive content, dispute panels, government procurement and a sunset clause, under which NAFTA would expire after five years unless the parties agree to extend it. The fifth round of NAFTA talks is scheduled to begin in Mexico City in the coming week.
Mexico felt the initial brunt of Trump's presidency this year after the peso fell sharply with his threat to scrap NAFTA and make Mexico pay for a border wall to keep undocumented immigrants out of the U.S. The currency has since made a comeback on expectations of a potential favorable outcome for NAFTA talks.
Asked about Mexico's expectations for the next round, Videgaray said: "We acknowledge the process and respect the process. As in any other trade negotiation it's natural for the parties to have differences in the beginning and the negotiation is about that."
"We all agree _ Canada, Mexico, the U.S. _ that we want this to be a good deal for all of us," he said. "Mexico is being constructive; we're serious about the negotiation. We have some differences, and we've been quite public about that."
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(Martin reported from Mexico City.)
