Mexico: Progress made, but toughest issues remain in NAFTA talks

Mexico’s economy minister on Thursday said that while representatives from his country and the U.S. have made progress in North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) negotiations, they still have yet to address some of the most difficult topics.

Reuters reported that the Mexican official, Ildefonso Guajardo, said after a meeting with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer that negotiators have still not discussed topics like the “sunset clause,” which would require NAFTA to be renegotiated every five years.

Guajardo did note that some progress was made in the talks, saying there have been “at least 20 items, that have been worked through, and there is very good advancement in all of them.”

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He and other Mexican officials met with U.S. officials in Washington, D.C., to discuss the deal. Guajardo said they would meet again on Friday.

Lighthizer said last week that the three countries could reach an agreement on the trade deal by the end of August.

President Trump has long demanded that NAFTA be renegotiated to better benefit the U.S.

A new poll released Thursday found that less than a third of Americans believe NAFTA is good for the U.S.