Capitol Report: U.S. trade representative says he’s ‘surprised’ as Nafta talks pushed into 2018

Reuters

Mexico’s Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo, left, looks on as Canada’s Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, center, and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer shake hands at the close of the third round of Nafta talks involving the U.S., Mexico and Canada in Ottawa on Sept. 27.

The U.S. trade representative on Tuesday said he was “surprised” and “disappointed” as talks with Canada and Mexico on renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement were pushed into next year.

Robert Lighthizer, the U.S. trade representative, said America’s neighbors had rejected some text they had previously agreed to in the Trans-Pacific Partnership. TPP is the trade pact that President Donald Trump rejected on his first day of office.

Lighthizer said he thought by now the sides would’ve agreed to issues including digital trade, telecommunications and anticorruption, and there’s no indication of changes that would result in a reduction of the U.S. trade deficit.

At the same press conference after a fourth round of talks, Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said some of the Nafta proposals would have run counter to World Trade Organization rules. Freeland said some of the proposals have been “unconventional” and would turn back the clock.

Freeland said new U.S. content requirements would disrupt supply chains for the automobile industry, jeopardizing thousands of jobs.

Mexico will host the fifth round of talks in November, and additional talks will be held next year.