During the week of January 9th, the annual North American Leaders’ Summit referred to as the “3-Amigos Meeting” of the heads of states of the U.S., Canada and Mexico took place in Mexico City. (Add –)
The important issues included:
- Migration primarily to the U.S. by refugees from Central America, Cuba and Venezuela
- Drug manufacture and smuggling from Mexico to the U.S.
- Trade issues including the barriers by Canada on dairy products and the proposed ban on GM corn by Mexico
A discordant note was telegraphed in advance of the meeting by the Host, Andres Moreno Lopez Obrador (“AMLO”), the President of Mexico. He complained in Roger Dangerfield mode, that the U.S. did not extend adequate respect to Mexico. AMLO maintains that the U.S. and Canada import excessive quantities of goods from China that could otherwise be manufactured in Mexico.
Uppermost in the trade negotiations was the proposed ban on GMO corn that represents a caprice by President AMLO who is ill-informed in scientific matters and is apparently oblivious to the consequences of his intentions.
On the topic of migration, Mexico agreed to establish a center in South Mexico to inform intending migrants and refugees of the prevailing regulations relating to entry into Canada and the U.S. in order to resolve the logjam along Rio Grande border entry points.
Mexico was urged to do more to decommission drug labs and to rein in cartels responsible for smuggling of drugs. This was especially important for fentanyl that is responsible for drug overdose fatalities in the U.S. in addition to wide scale criminal violence in Mexican states bordering the U.S.
Concurrent with the discussions that took place at the level of the respective leaders of the USMCA nations, consultation among the respective trade representatives and security agencies were arranged to attempt to resolve issues of mutual or unilateral concern.