The United States said that it would not renew its North American trade pact with Canada and Mexico, opting instead to hold annual reviews on the deal.
“The United States did not agree to renew the USMCA in its current form,” said US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in a statement after a virtual meeting with his counterparts. “The United States will continue to engage with Mexico and Canada to address the Agreement’s shortcomings and our trade deficits with these countries.”
The US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) was implemented in 2020, replacing NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement. The pact remains in force for another 10 years even if not extended by Wednesday’s deadline.
The free trade pact will instead be subject to annual reviews, unless a country decides to withdraw entirely.
The Trump administration’s decision came after the USTR held a virtual meeting with Mexican Secretary of Economy Marcelo Ebrard and Ottawa’s Minister in charge of Canada-US trade, Dominic LeBlanc.
Mexico said that it believes its differences with the United States in the negotiations over the USMCA free trade agreement can still be resolved despite Washington’s refusal to extend it for another 16 years.
“There isn’t any difference I can see that is too substantial for us to not resolve it,” Mexican Secretary of Economy Marcelo Ebrard said in a press conference. Ebrard explained that Washington’s pending complaints over the agreement have dropped from 54 in 2025 to 14. (AFP)
