Mexico

Mexico’s decision to shut down some industrial sectors by deeming them non-essential amid the coronavirus outbreak is a “serious problem,” Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) said on Tuesday, citing impacts on North American supply chains.

A group of 25 House Ways & Means Committee Democrats on Monday lambasted the Trump administration for missing a deadline to establish a task force on forced labor required under by the U.S. bill implementing the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

“[T]his task force can help our global efforts to combat forced labor -- but only if it actually exists.”

“It has become clear that our integrated supply chains will continue to suffer disruptions unless the Mexican government clarifies its definition of ‘essential businesses.’”

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has for the first time included the foreign operations of a U.S. company, Amazon, on its annual list of “notorious markets for counterfeiting and piracy.”

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on Monday discussed the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement’s looming entry-into-force and enforcement issues with Democrats on the House Ways & Means trade subcommittee.

The U.S. plans to notify Mexico and Canada on Friday that it has completed internal procedures required for the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement to take effect, several sources tell Inside U.S. Trade.

Top officials from the U.S., Mexico and Canada are racing to implement the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, Mexican Economy Minister Graciela Márquez Colín said on Wednesday, adding that a teleconference on how best to continue those efforts would be held the same day.

Efforts to ensure a host of labor and enforcement commitments required by the time the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement enters into force -- which could be as soon as June 1 -- are picking up speed, according to government officials.