Americans Missing at MBS NAFTA Session

TRAVERSE CITY, MI – Canada and Mexico sent government officials to talk about NAFTA at the Center for Automotive Research’s Management Briefing Seminars here. Notably missing from the discussion: a U.S. representative.

Colin Bird, minister-counselor for trade and economic policy at the Canadian Embassy in Washington, was asked where the Americans were. He simply raised his arms, looked left and right, and then hunched forward as if saying “don’t ask me.”

Mexico’s representative Francisco Sandoval Saqui, also based in Washington as economic advisor at the trade and NAFTA office of the Ministry of the Economy, had no answer either.

For the record, CAR tried repeatedly to line up an American official to participate. “We were told they had health issues or that Traverse City was hard to get to from Washington,” says CAR’s Kristin Dziczek, director-industry, labor and economics.

The others, however, flew from Washington with no problem.

During his campaign and since his election, President Trump has called NAFTA “a disaster” that’s robbing U.S. jobs, and he has called for a review of the 23-year-old agreement. Talks are scheduled to start within two weeks.

Bird and Sandoval Saqui both underscored the importance of retaining strong North American automotive production as other regions gear up their auto industries.

Bird says NAFTA needs to avoid regulatory differences and agrees a new look at issues such as currency evaluation, border security and more efficient cargo clearance might be in order.

Bird says all three countries have benefited significantly, with trade between them rising 245% since NAFTA launched in 1994.

Francisco Sandoval Saqui, economic advisor from Mexico.

“All of us have an incentive to move quickly” during the upcoming talks, says Sandoval Saqui. “A lot has already been done, but now we’ve got to get the political people involved.”

Bird says his government is “looking for convergence with the new (U.S.) Administration.”  U.S. NAFTA negotiators “will have to deliver to the Administration and Congress,” he says.

In 2016, U.S. vehicle production totaled 12.2 million units, Canada 2.3 million and Mexico 3.6 million.

It may help that Trump’s relationship with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appears to be congenial so far. However, Trump’s rapport with Mexico is less cordial.