Listado de la etiqueta: México

Acuerdo comercial México-Estados Unidos da certidumbre en negocios: KPMG

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Economía Hoy / Septiembre 17

 

El acuerdo bilateral de entendimiento entre México y Estados Unidos en la renegociación del Tratado de Libre Comercio del Norte (TLCAN) da certidumbre en los negocios, destacó el socio de Comercio Internacional y Aduanas de la consultora KPMG en México, César Buenrostro.

Este acuerdo, abundó, coadyuva a otorgar un mayor grado de certeza al comercio exterior mexicano, pues más del 80% de las exportaciones se destinan a Estados Unidos y casi un 50% de las importaciones provienen de dicho país.

Aunado a lo anterior, casi la mitad del total de la inversión extranjera directa en México proviene de Estados Unidos, por lo que la importancia de contar con reglas del juego bien establecidas y de largo plazo tiene un carácter preponderante, expuso en un artículo.

Señaló que este convenio bilateral de entendimiento entre México y Estados Unidos se dio a conocer luego de un año, y tras siete rondas de discusión, una intermedia y algunas otras ministeriales en la renegociación del TLCAN.

Si bien el proceso se dio de forma trilateral, precisó que Canadá no participó en las sesiones de julio y agosto debido a que compartía la postura del sector automotriz, planteada por Estados Unidos, principal tema de las negociaciones bilaterales.

No obstante, el 31 de agosto Canadá reanudó la renegociación del TLCAN con Estados Unidos con la finalidad de lograr un entendimiento benéfico para los tres países miembros y que abone a la competitividad de la región, anotó.

Buenrostro apuntó que las disposiciones relacionadas con el acceso al mercado canadiense de lácteos y derivados provenientes de Estados Unidos, la exportación de madera y el mecanismo de solución de controversias contemplado en el capítulo 19 del acuerdo son temas álgidos que deberán resolverse.

Resaltó que el acuerdo bilateral de entendimiento entre México y Estados Unidos contribuye para disminuir la incertidumbre que prevaleció por casi un año referente a la sobrevivencia del TLCAN.

Sin embargo, es importante conservar el carácter trilateral del tratado dada la estrecha interrelación e interdependencia de las cadenas productivas de los tres países, aunado a que Canadá aporta casi el 10 por ciento del total de la inversión extranjera en México, subrayó.

El socio de Comercio Internacional y Aduanas de KPMG en México apuntó que después de un año de negociaciones, son varios los sectores productivos del país los sujetos a las modificaciones del TLCAN actual.

Estos deben estar conscientes en tomar medida de los posibles impactos como podrían ser los cambios a las reglas de origen (automotriz y autopartes), disposiciones de productos agrícolas, mecanismos de solución de controversias, comercio digital, propiedad intelectual, entre otros.

 

Economía Hoy / Septiembre 17

 

 

Canadá y Estados Unidos reanudan diálogo sobre el TLCAN

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Informador / AFP / Septiembre 11

 

Chrystia Freeland Y Robert Lighthizer se reunirán el martes en Washington

La canciller de Canadá, Chrystia Freeland, se reunirá el martes con el representante estadounidense de Comercio, Robert Lighthizer, en Washington para retomar las negociaciones para rediseñar el TLCAN, informó este lunes un portavoz canadiense.

Las dos partes cerraron el viernes dos semanas de negociaciones, pero sin llegar a un acuerdo que permita a Canadá mantenerse en el TLCAN. Entonces no se anunció una fecha para retomar las charlas.

México y Estados Unidos ya llegaron a un acuerdo a finales de agosto y Washington informó al Congreso que pretende firmar un nuevo acuerdo el 30 de noviembre, con la perspectiva de que Canadá forme parte del mismo.

Pero Ottawa y Washington negocian con dificultad una nueva versión del TLCAN, suscrito en 1994 entre Canadá, Estados Unidos y México. Las conversaciones se iniciaron a demanda del presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, quien considera que el pacto es «uno de los peores acuerdos comerciales de la historia» de su país.

Trump exige que Canadá se abra más al mercado estadounidense, principalmente en productos agrícolas.

 

Informador / AFP / Septiembre 11

 

U.S. turns up pressure on Canada to loosen grip on dairy industry in NAFTA talks

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Calgary Herald / The Canadian Press / September 11

 

WASHINGTON — Canada’s foreign affairs minister says Tuesday’s anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States should serve as a reminder of the deep ties between the two countries as they haggle over the future of North American free trade.

Chrystia Freeland underlined the anniversary at the start of another day of trade talks aimed at breaking an impasse on a renewed North American Free Trade Agreement.

The renegotiation of the 24-year-old NAFTA, which also includes Mexico and is integral to the continent’s economy, has dragged on for 13 months.

The in-person, high-level negotiations got back underway as events marking the 17th anniversary of the 2001 attacks took place around the U.S., including at the Pentagon with Vice President Mike Pence, not far from where the trade meetings are taking place.

Freeland said the memorials should help to add some context to the ongoing negotiations on free trade that were started at Trump’s behest.

“Maybe that helps us all put into perspective the negotiations that we’re having — and also put into a little bit of historical perspective the importance and the significance of the relationship between Canada and the United States,” Freeland told reporters outside the offices of her counterpart, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer.

“At the end of the day we’re neighbours, and at the end of the day, neighbours help each other when they need help.”

Freeland and Lighthizer left the bargaining table Friday without a deal following two weeks of negotiations. She said she spoke with Lighthizer over the weekend and they agreed it would be useful for them to meet again face to face.

“The conversations over the weekend continued to be constructive and productive,” she said.

Freeland will spend Tuesday in the U.S. capital before she heads to Saskatoon to attend Liberal caucus meetings that begin later in the day and run through Thursday.

Lighthizer spent Monday in Brussels for trade discussions with the European Union — preliminary talks that are scheduled to resume later this fall.

Ottawa and Washington are trying to reach an agreement that could be submitted to the U.S. Congress by month’s end. A deal would see Canada join a preliminary trade agreement the Trump administration struck last month with Mexico.

The two sides have so far been unable to resolve their differences over U.S. access to the Canadian dairy market, a cultural exemption for Canada and the Chapter 19 dispute resolution mechanism.

A Canadian source with knowledge of the NAFTA discussions says an agreement is within reach, but getting there will require flexibility from all sides.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said during an interview Tuesday with a Winnipeg radio station, CJOB, that there are certain positions Canada has and remain firm on. But he said the Liberals plan to be flexible on other issues in order to get a deal.

“It’s time to update this deal after 25 years. We’re just going to stay working constructively to get to that win, win, win that we know is there,” he said in the interview.

There is another wild card in Washington: hurricane Florence, a monster Category 4 storm that’s bearing down on the U.S. east coast and is sure to make its presence felt in the national capital area later in the week.

 

Calgary Herald / The Canadian Press / September 11

 

el-regimen-de-responsabilidad-objetiva-en-las-actividades-de-exploracion-y-extraccion-de-hidrocarburos

The regime of strict liability in the activities of Exploration and Extraction of hydrocarbons

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The General Administrative Provisions that establish the Guidelines on Industrial and Operational Safety and Environmental Protection to carry out the activities of Surface Recognition and Exploration, Exploration and Extraction of Hydrocarbons (DACG/E&E), were published in the Official Gazette of the Federation, issued by the National Agency for Industrial Safety and Environmental Protection of the Hydrocarbons Sector (ASEA), established  that those who carry out works or activities for the exploration and extraction of hydrocarbons are subject to a regime of strict liability, that is, they operate under the assumption that they are creating a risk to people and the environment and, therefore, in case of causing damage they must carry out its repair, without this being conditioned to prove their fault.

 

Derived from the above, ASEA imposes on operators the obligation to perform all actions necessary to prevent environmental damage arising from the risks created, for which they must contain, characterize and remedy them with opportunity under their own processes and according to the applicable legislation and regulations.

 

In this sense, the “DACG/E&E” establish that Exploration and Extraction activities must be carried out under certain principles, such as:

 

  1. Minimize the risks at a level that is as low as reasonably possible, that is, up to a level where it is demonstrated that the cost of continuing to reduce that risk is greater compared to the economic benefit that would be obtained. This allows a reasonable balance between economic activity and the protection of third parties and the environment.
  2. Regularly review the risk reduction measures in order to update them based on the technological development and specialized knowledge.

 

  1. Implement emergency measures and foster a culture of the protection of people, the environment and facilities.

 

The aforementioned principles are aimed at preventing the accidents from happening, so they must be complemented with measures that have as their object the repair and / or compensation of the damages caused by the an accident.

 

One of the most effective measures to achieve this is to have financial instruments that allow for the consequences of the materialization of risks, such as an insurance.

At NRGI Broker we are experts in insurance for the Exploration and Extraction of Hydrocarbons. Come to us.

 

Oil industry encouraged by Trump’s trade deal with Mexico

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Washington Examiner/ John Siciliano / August 27

 

President Trump’s announcement with Mexico on Monday is being taken as an encouraging sign by the U.S. oil and natural gas industry.

“We are encouraged that negotiators have reached a preliminary agreement to modernize our trade relationships,” said Mike Sommers, the new president and CEO of the American Petroleum Institute, the oil industry’s top lobbyist in Washington.

“America’s natural gas and oil industry depends on trade to continue to grow U.S. jobs and our economy, and deliver for consumers,” he added.

Trump announced Monday morning that progress had been made toward a deal with Mexico on renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement. Negotiations with Canada, the final piece in the agreement, are still ongoing.

Trump called it a «big day for trade» and the nation in an Oval Office announcement in which he teleconferenced with outgoing Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.

Energy has been a key aspect of the negotiations on a revamped version of NAFTA. However, no announcement on energy trade was made on Monday. The agreement with Mexico centered on ensuring that a higher percentage of automobiles sold in North America are made with parts produced on the continent.

Negotiations on an update to the free trade agreement had stalled in recent months amid disagreements over, among other things, provisions related to the automotive and energy industries. U.S. and Mexican negotiators, however, had made breakthroughs on those issues ahead of Monday’s announcement.

Jesus Seade, the incoming Mexican government’s chief NAFTA negotiator, said Sunday the energy issues have been “ironed out,” without going into detail, Reuters reported.

Mexico has become a large importer of U.S. natural gas and oil in recent years. Energy Secretary Rick Perry had visited Mexico ahead of Monday’s announcement. He was there to discuss «how the U.S. and Mexico can continue to work together to make North America a world-wide leader in energy production and exports,» Perry said last week in a tweet.

 

Washington Examiner/ John Siciliano / August 27

 

Trump deal with Mexico eases fears of trade wars, offers template to end other conflicts

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Market Watch / Jeffry Barthash / August 27

 

That sound of ice thawing? It’s the Trump administration’s tentative deal with Mexico to rewrite the controversial Nafta free-trade pact, the first clear evidence the White House is willing to compromise on its hardline demands and avert ruinous trade wars.

News of the deal sent U.S. markets surging Monday. The Nasdaq Composite IndexCOMP, +0.17%  topped 8,000 points and the S&P 500 SPX, +0.06%  index almost hit 2,900, both touching record highs. The Dow Jones Industrial AverageDJIA, +0.15%   jumped nearly 260 points to surpass 26,000.

Details of the pending agreement are sketchy for now. Senior White House officials suggested the new pact would result in more new cars and trucks being made in the U.S. using steel and other materials produced in North America. That was one of President Donald Trump’s chief goals.

Other key provisions could lead to higher wages for Mexican auto workers and even give them greater rights to unionize, moves meant to reduce the incentive for U.S. automakers to shift operations south of the border due to lower labor costs.

The new agreement also puts greater emphasis on crafting rules to govern the “digital economy” and protect copyrights and intellectual-property rights, areas in which the U.S. is a global leader.

“I think this is an extremely historic time,” said Robert Lighthizer, the chief U.S. trade negotiator, in a call with reporters. “We had a Nafta agreement that got seriously out of whack … and needed modern updating.”

A deal is far from done, of course. Canada is the third country that was party to the original North American Free Trade Agreement signed in 1994, but negotiations have been at a standstill. The White House hopes Canada will now rejoin the talks and quickly join with the U.S. and Mexico to ratify a successor agreement to Nafta.

“We hope that Canada can join in now,” Lighthizer told reporters Monday. Talks are expected to resume soon, and at this point, it’s unlikely that any Nafta successor would be voted upon until the next Congress convenes in early 2019.

The Canadians and no doubt the Europeans and Chinese are likely to comb over the details of the agreement. The U.S. is sure to use the deal with Mexico as a template for negotiations in talks with other countries to update trade rules that Trump has long complained are unfair.

What the Mexico deal also shows, though, is the Trump administration is ready to compromise on some of its toughest demands. The U.S., for instance, dropped its insistence on a hard “sunset” clause that would cause the trade deal to expire after a certain number of years.

“Despite the Trump administration’s intransigence over trade disputes in recent months, it is willing to negotiate in good faith and accept a compromise, which will be welcomed in both China and Europe,” contended Paul Ashworth, chief U.S. economist at Capital Economics.

The new pact calls for the U.S. and Mexico to review an updated North American free-trade deal six years into a 16-year window. The countries could extend the pact another 16 years at any point after that six-year period.

The U.S. also appears to have softened its demand for an end to an arbitration process for determining if a country was violating the trade agreement. Industries in the U.S. mostly support the current process for resolving problems and lobbied the White House to back off.

Yet even if the agreement is not entirely what the White House wanted, the deal with Mexico allows Trump to claim partial victory for his “America First” policy.

What’s more, the deal will go a long way in easing tensions on Wall Street and in Washington that Trump’s tough talk on trade would ignite a conflagration damaging to economies all around the world.

Major industry lobbying group and trade experts were cautiously optimistic after the White House deal.

It’s “a victory for rationality over rhetoric,” said Steve Nelson, a partner at the law firm Dorsey & Whitney and a former state department lawyer.

 

Market Watch / Jeffry Barthash / August 27

 

 

“La integración de los equipos de EPN y AMLO en la negociación es madurez de México”: Jesús Seade

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Sin Embargo / Por Redacción / 27 Agosto 

 

La duración del acuerdo alcanzado entre México y Estados Unidos en el Tratado de Libre Comercio de América del Norte (TLCAN) será de 16 años y no de cinco como proponía el Presidente Trump, así lo confirmó el representante comercial de EU, Robert Lighthizer. El pacto contempla revisiones cada seis años, en las que se podrán añadir prórrogas de otros dieciséis años, si las partes lo acuerdan.

Ciudad de México/Washington, 27 agosto (SinEmbargo).–  “Hoy es un buen día para México en materia de comercio internacional”, dijo esta tarde Luis Videgaray Caso, Secretario de Relaciones Exteriores, al iniciar la conferencia de prensa en la que estuvieron presentes Jesús Seade Kuri, integrante del equipo de Andrés Manuel López Obrador; Ildefonso Guajardo Villarreal, titular de la Secretaría de Economía, y Juan Pablo Castañón Castañón, presidente del Consejo Coordinador Empresarial (CCE).

“Si por alguna razón el Gobierno de Canadá y EU no llegaran a un entendimiento, hoy lo que sabemos los mexicanos es que habrá un acuerdo con Estados Unidos”, explicó Videgaray.

El representante del Presidente electo Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Jesús Seade, dijo que la integración de los equipos saliente y entrante para estas negociaciones es una demostración de la madurez democrática del país, que a pesar de haber un cambio de gobierno trabajaron juntos. “Gana México. Estamos muy contentos con todo lo logrado”, dijo Seade. “Quiero en particular celebrar el hecho de que hayamos podido colaborar de una forma tan maravillosamente efectiva, solidaria, de equipo único, con el distinguido equipo del Presidente Enrique Peña Nieto. Es un ejercicio de cooperación que me llena de orgullo, que me llena de satisfacción, que en sí mismo es una magnífica señal para México”.

“Muestra –agregó– que México es un país muy maduro como economía como economía y muy maduro como democracia, que puede tener cambios de orientación sin que esto signifique en lo absoluto un drama para el área económica ni una fuente de incertidumbre”.

“Ha sido muy satisfactorio haber estado en esta batalla y haberla sacado hasta ahora”, reiteró Seade y agradeció a Videgaray y a Guajardo, a quienes llamó “mis amigos y compañeros de lucha”.

Sobre el tema energético, que causó discrepancias entre los equipos negociadores mexicanos, Seade explicó: “El Presidente electo ha sido muy claro desde toda su campaña que él no va a echar para atrás la Reforma Energética, y eso incluye los contratos. Él políticamente expresó su opinión contraria a esa Reforma, pero la respeta. Lo que él sentía era que él no podía políticamente avalar un tratado en el que una gran parte del lenguaje era copia de esta Reforma. Él decía busquemos la forma de tener el mismo contenido, dejando claro las facultades del Gobierno mexicano, pero no haciendo un copiado literal de la Reforma Energética que simbólicamente sería avalarla”.

Hoy se dio a conocer el principio de acuerdo comercial entre Estados Unidos y México, que tendrá una vigencia inicial de 16 años, según explicó el Representante de Comercio Exterior estadounidense, Robert Lighthizer.El pacto contempla revisiones cada seis años, en las que se podrán añadir prórrogas de otros dieciséis años, si las partes lo acuerdan.

Los negociadores estadounidenses y mexicanos llegaron también a un pacto sobre las reglas de origen de los automóviles, pero “no se tocó” el tema de los aranceles de Estados Unidos al acero y aluminio de México, y por tanto seguirán en vigor, dijo Lighthizer.

“Vamos a sustentar el aterrizaje en algunos sectores. Primero, el entendimiento es en un fortalecimiento de las reglas de integración. Segundo, logramos cambiar un posicionamiento original que demandaba 50 por ciento del contenido regional en un nuevo concepto que se mueve a un concepto de interacción de zona de Alto Salario, que se maneja en el 40 por ciento dependiendo del tipo de vehículo, pero que deja el 60 por cieno para hacerlo en cualquier otro lugar y un 40 que en un momento determinado se puede hacer en Canadá y EU”, explicó Ildefonso Guajardo sobre el acuerdo en el sector automotriz.

“Las negociaciones han sido intensas y esperamos que en esta semana así sigan siendo para lograr el acuerdo trilateral. Nos genera la plataforma para traer y desarrollar tecnología en México. Es un paso importante para la competitividad de México y me parece que los pequeños, medianos grandes empresarios estamos comprometidos”, dijo el presidente del CCE, Juan Pablo Castañón.

“México ha dado el testimonio de que unidos salimos adelante, haciendo cada quien lo que nos corresponde, y así debemos seguir”, destacó Castañón.

En la ronda de preguntas y respuestas, Guajardo explicó que “los temas más álgidos tenían que ver con la definición del capítulo 20 y el aterrizaje de los temas automotrices eran los dos temas pendientes para México. En el tema automotriz tuvimos que definir los escenarios”.

Guajardo también explicó que México no se moverá de Washington hasta que Canadá se incorpore para participar en la negociación trilateral. “Seguiremos en Washington toda la semana”.

Sobre los aranceles al acero y aluminio que EU impuso a México y Canadá, el titular de la SE dijo que este tema se platicó y acordaron retomarlo más adelante. “Las cuotas se mantienen sobre el acero mexicano”, dijo, pero “no dejamos la posibilidad de vislumbrar posibles soluciones, no es un tema que se haya resuelto en este proceso”.

“Este tratado establece las premisas que fueron comprometidas con el Senado de la República: mejora la relación con América del Norte, preserva la certidumbre de que México no aceptó cuotas ni restricciones ni tarifas en el comercio y genera las bases para poner los atractivos de México en la economía”, dijo Guajardo.

En la solución de controversias, ante la posibilidad de la eliminación del capítulo 11, éste se mantiene para poder dar certidumbre, explicó. En el sector agrícola hoy queda fortalecido y se elimina la sombra o amenaza de un mecanismo de subsidios; lo que genera confianza entre las compras de México al campo estadounidense y viceversa.

El Canciller mexicano hizo un reconocimiento a los integrantes del equipo negociador del TLCAN y resaltó la integración del equipo del Presiente electo Andrés Manuel López Obrador en estas negociaciones. “Jesús Seade es un experto en la materia, un verdadero conocedor del tema”, dijo Videgaray y agradeció a Marcelo Ebrard, próximo Secretario de Relaciones Exteriores de México.

“Lo más importante es que cumpliendo con estas reglas de fortalecimiento, que está confirmado que el 70 por ciento de las exportaciones mexicanas la cumplirán y para ellos el arancel será a cero tasa, sin ningún tipo de limitación”, agregó.

“He estado platicando con muchos de los representantes del sector privado, y me agrada mucho constatar que un área en la que salimos ganando, es el área de productos químicos. Queda claramente reforzada. Quisiera celebrar muy en particular no solo lo logrado. Quiero celebrar el hecho de que hayamos podido colaborar en un forma tan maravillosamente solidad de equipo único con el equipo del Presidente Enrique Peña Nieto. Éste es un ejercicio de cooperación que me llena de orgullo”, dijo Seade.

“Esta negociación no puedo haber llegado a buen puerto sin un acuerdo con la iniciativa privada”, reconoció el Canciller. “Quiero agradecer a Juan Pablo Castañón, presidente del CCE y Moisés Kalach Mizrahi, integrante del equipo negociador por parte de la iniciativa privada.

“Primero quiero compartir con ustedes dos elementos fundamentales para este proceso (del TLCAN). El espacio para que pudiéramos negociar lo dio el Presidente de la República y en segundo, el apoyo del Canciller Luis Videgaray y su equipo”, dijo Ildefonso Guajardo.

Donald Trump, Presidente de Estados Unidos, confirmó en la Casa Blanca el cierre de las negociaciones comerciales entre Estados Unidos y México. Pero no hay tratado trilateral. Falta Canadá. Ahora, dijo Trump, “haremos un trato con Canadá. Es un segmento más pequeño el que hay que negociar”.

“Daremos por terminado el TLCAN para dar paso a este nuevo acuerdo, vamos a empezar a negociar con Canadá. Yo sé que Canadá tiene mucho interés en negociar, pero hay muchos puntos que tenemos que limar”, señaló el Presidente de Estados Unidos.

Trump habló con el Presidente mexicano Enrique Peña Nieto durante la conferencia. Dijo a los asistentes que el acuerdo ahora se llamará “acuerdo comercial entre EU y México” y ya no tendrá el nombre anterior. “Este es un tratado muy positivo para ambos países”, dijo Peña.

“Es nuestro deseo”, añadió Peña, “que Canadá pueda ahora incorporarse a este acuerdo. Asumo que ellos estarán evaluando”.

 

Sin Embargo / Por Redacción / 27 Agosto 

 

Mexico’s outgoing President Peña Nieto and President-elect Lopez Obrador vow to work together despite differences

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Los Angeles Times / Patrick J. McDonnell / August 20

Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto and his once-fierce rival, President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, on Monday pledged cooperation in confronting the nation’s challenges despite differences on issues such as education reform and a controversial airport project.

Peña Nieto and Lopez Obrador — along with many current Cabinet members and the president-elect’s designated ministers — appeared together at the National Palace downtown and stressed themes of mutual respect.

It was the latest in a series of gestures meant to demonstrate stability and continuity as leftist Lopez Obrador prepares to assume power amid pledges for a far-reaching “transformation” of Mexican society. Peña Nieto has faced widespread unpopularity and the perception that he has been an ineffective leader.

“It is an institutional transition but it is also a respectful transition because we have received help without conditions from the constitutional president, Enrique Peña Nieto,” said Lopez Obrador, who won the presidency after losing in the two previous national elections, in 2012 and 2006.

Peña Nieto, in turn, vowed to do all he could to ensure that “the next government begins its term in a successful fashion.”

Lopez Obrador, elected July 1 in a landslide, is scheduled to take office Dec. 1 for a single six-year term. Peña Nieto was not a candidate in the election as Mexican law bars reelection of presidents.

The two men Monday answered a half dozen questions from the press but didn’t veer from differences on a number of contentious issues — notably national education reform and a planned new multibillion dollar airport for Mexico City.

Lopez Obrador reiterated his vow to review the controversial airport plan — critics say it is too expensive and not needed — and to rescind the current administration’s education overhaul blueprint. The president-elect has said he will seek out views from all sectors on how to improve the nation’s moribund public education system and what to do about the airport proposal.

Education reform was a centerpiece of Peña Nieto’s administration, but it drew fierce criticism from teachers opposed to revised rules to evaluate teacher performance. The new airport, already under construction, was the major infrastructure project of the outgoing administration.

Lopez Obrador and Peña Nieto met July 3, two days after the election, but that was a one-on-one meeting before Lopez Obrador had been legally declared president-elect.

Despite many preelection fears of an economic slide after a Lopez Obrador victory, Mexico’s economy has remained stable and the peso has retained its value against the U.S. dollar and other currencies. The incoming president has vowed to revitalize the sluggish Mexican economy, but has provided few specifics beyond a broad anti-corruption push.

Since election day, Lopez Obrador has generally toned down his often fiery rhetoric— he campaigned relentlessly against what he labeled “mafia of power,” including Peña Nieto’s administration — and has met repeatedly with investors and business interests.

The president-elect has also reached out to Washington and said he would invite President Trump to his inauguration.

U.S.-Mexico relations have experienced turbulence since Trump took office and repeatedly criticized Mexico and Mexicans.

Negotiations are continuing between the United States, Mexico and Canada in crafting a new North American Free Trade Agreement, the three-nation accord that has governed commerce on the continent for almost a quarter century. Trump has assailed the pact as unfair to U.S. interests.

The free-trade regimen is a cornerstone of the Mexican economy. Almost 80% of the nation’s exports go to the United States. Peña Nieto and Lopez Obrador have voiced support for a new trade accord.

Lopez Obrador, who ran on a leftist populist campaign vowing fundamental change, won 53% of the vote, defeating his nearest challenger by more than 30 percentage points. He has vowed to increase social-welfare payments to the poor, make higher education available to all and eliminate deep-rooted corruption.

Lopez Obrador is the first Mexican president to take office with a majority vote since 1988, during the days of dominance by the country’s Institutional Revolutionary Party, known as the PRI.

The PRI’s more than seven-decade hold on the presidency ended in 2000, with the election of Vicente Fox of the right-of-center National Action Party. But Lopez Obrador is the first avowed leftist and first contender from a non-traditional party to be elected president in the 21st century.

Peña Nieto is the current standard-bearer for the PRI, which suffered a humiliating defeat in the July 1 elections.

Lopez Obrador is among a number of left-leaning politicians who abandoned the PRI starting in the late 1980s. Lopez Obrador ran under the banner of his own party, the National Regeneration Movement, known as Morena, which is 4 years old.

Morena — which includes many defectors from the PRI and other traditional parties— not only won the presidency, but garnered major majorities in both chambers of the national legislature.

Despite his party’s newfound dominance at the federal level, Lopez Obrador has repeatedly vowed to run a democratic administration and to reach out to all sectors.

“This government is going to represent all Mexicans,” Lopez Obrador said Monday. “No one will be on the margins of the law or above the law.”

Cecilia Sanchez of The Times’ Mexico City bureau contributed to this report.

Los Angeles Times / Patrick J. McDonnell / August 20

 

AMLO no comprará gasolina al extranjero a mitad de sexenio

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La Verdad Noticias / 20 Agosto

 

El presidente electo aseguró que en su administración no habrá gasolinazos y enfrentará crisis energética.

Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) presidente electo de México, aseguró que en su administración no existirán los gasolinazos ni se aumentarán los impuestos reales e indicó que a mitad de su sexenio México dejará de comprar gasolinas en el extranjero.

Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) presidente electo de México, aseguró que en su administración no existirán los gasolinazos ni se aumentarán los impuestos reales e indicó que a mitad de su sexenio México dejará de comprar gasolinas en el extranjero.

“Produciremos con urgencia petróleo y gas para enfrentar la crisis energética; se modernizarán las refinerías; se construirá la nueva refinería de Dos Bocas, Paraíso, Tabasco; se rescatará la industria eléctrica; no habrá gasolinazos ni aumentarán impuestos en términos reales”, dijo el político tabasqueño.

De igual forma agregó que se creará la zona franca o libre en la frontera Norte; habrá un amplio programa cultural, se fomentará el deporte, se apoyará a la ciencia y a la tecnología; se cuidará el medio ambiente; se apoyará a las comunidades mineras; se construirá el tren maya y se promoverá el desarrollo del Istmo de Tehuantepec.

Respecto al tema de la construcción del nuevo Aeropuerto, dijo que “ya iniciamos el proceso de consulta para construir donde lo decida el pueblo y mejor convenga al interés nacional”.

También agradeció a quienes, siendo diputados o senadores, “trabajaron desde mucho antes de la campaña en estados y distritos sin descuidar su labor legislativa”.

Declaró que “es ejemplar lo que hicieron los actuales diputados federales, que no traicionaron al movimiento y no aprobaron el gasolinazo”.

“Ojalá y esto sirva de lección a los diputados y senadores entrantes para no escuchar el canto de las sirenas y no olvidar que el poder solo tiene sentido y se convierte en virtud cuando se pone al servicio de los demás”, externó.

Este día AMLO encabezó el quinto Congreso nacional extraordinario de Morena.

Durante este encuentro, los congresistas discutieron la propuesta de plan de acción “para respaldar” el proyecto de nación y el plan de austeridad republicana y combate a la corrupción” para el gobierno de Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

 

La Verdad Noticias / 20 Agosto

 

Mexico and U.S. studying NAFTA rules of origin proposals – minister

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REUTERS / Adriana Barrera / August 6

 

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexico’s economy minister Ildefonso Guajardo said on Monday the country has put forward a proposal to update the North American Free Trade Agreement’s contentious rules of origin, and in turn was studying the U.S. position.

The United States has demanded tougher rules of origin, particularly on what percentage of a car needs to be built in the NAFTA region to avoid tariffs than outlined in the current trade deal.

“We have a proposal on the table, we’re analyzing some characteristics of the U.S. position, and we’re doing it clearly in line with our dialogue with Mexico’s auto industry,” Guajardo told reporters after an event in Mexico City.

U.S. President Donald Trump, who launched the renegotiation of the 1994 pact a year ago, has said he wants the reworked deal to bring manufacturing jobs back to the United States.

Guajardo on Monday also said that Canada, which is not participating in U.S.-Mexico talks that began in Washington two weeks ago after months of negotiations between the three trade partners, could join next week, depending on progress in the next few days between Mexico and the United States.

The bilateral meetings have yielded important developments, Guajardo said, adding that he will return to Washington midweek. He did not give details.

Mexican sources briefed on the negotiations have said Mexico has offered to raise the threshold for regional content beyond a May proposal of 70 percent, up from the current level of 62.5 percent. The United States is seeking 75 percent as well as demanding a proportion of vehicles be made in factories paying $16 an hour or more.

Mexico’s El Economista financial newspaper on Monday reported that Mexico had agreed to those demands, in return for a five-year transition period. Asked about the reports, Mexico’s chief trade negotiator Kenneth Smith said that no deal on autos had yet been reached.

“We haven’t closed or resolved this chapter yet,” Smith told reporters after the same event in Mexico City, saying that Canada also needed to take part before negotiators could reach final decisions.

Smith said Mexico and the United States were discussing technical details and each other’s proposals involving the auto sector, and that Mexico was explaining the areas it considered particularly sensitive.

He also said Mexico would not budge on its rejection of U.S. bids for seasonal restrictions on fresh products or a sunset clause that could strike down NAFTA agreements after five years.

 

REUTERS / Adriana Barrera / August 6