WASHINGTON - ITI CEO and President Dean Garfield issued this statement expressing concern about the bilateral deal reached by leaders of Mexico and the United States to modernize the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
“For over 20 years, NAFTA has built an integrated, trilateral platform that has created jobs, increased wages, and enhanced economic opportunity in all three countries. Replacing this agreement with one or two bilateral agreements negates NAFTA’s benefits and risks harming American companies, workers and consumers. Any such changes to the existing NAFTA agreement would be highly disruptive to global supply chains and to the regional economy.
“We encourage negotiators from all three countries to reach a deal that embraces and builds on the strong, trilateral foundation of the original NAFTA agreement and sets a new standard for digital trade that will solidify North America’s competitiveness and attractiveness for business and investment.”