Reading Time: 4 minutesMEXICO CITY— Without much fanfare, U.S. and Mexican trade negotiators concluded a third round of bilateral USMCA talks in this city days ago. While progress was made on some issues, contentious topics such as auto industry rules of origin and nondiscriminatory access to Mexico’s electricity market are still sticking points that will be discussed in a new round scheduled for September in Washington.
Even as Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, said on Friday that she had a “very good meeting” with the U.S. Trade Representative, Jamieson Greer, the reality points to a complex path for future negotiations where the parties involved will need to adjust to a new reality of constant and permanent leverage.
For decades, North American diplomacy sought to reduce friction among partners. Now, however, dialogue increasingly coexists with pressure. This is not incidental, but rather reflects today’s zeitgeist. Consider the closing ceremony of the FIFA World Cup. U.S. President Donald Trump stood alongside Mexico’s Sheinbaum and Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney. Three North American leaders, sharing the stage at the biggest sporting event ever jointly hosted by their countries, posed together before a global audience.
