CEO DATELINE - Business, agriculture groups urge caution in NAFTA negotiations
CEO DATELINE - Business, agriculture groups urge caution in NAFTA negotiations
- August 17, 2017 |
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Walt Williams
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As representatives from the U.S., Canada and Mexico begin negotiations on the North American Free Trade Agreement this week, a handful of business and agriculture groups are cautioning to do no harm.
"It's critical to maintain and even expand on current market access we have in Mexico and Canada," Lesly McNitt, director of public policy for the National Corn Growers Association, told the news site AgWeb. http://bit.ly/2vICkWf
President Donald Trump has been critical of NAFTA in the past, alleging the trade agreement has done more harm to employment opportunities in the U.S. than helped. The president sought to renegotiate the agreement to get a "fairer" deal for the country. Many business and a groups support the agreement and worry that curtailing free trade could harm the economy, although they are open to negotiations.
Many technology industry associations have increased their advocacy efforts in recent months to prepare for NAFTA negotiations, the New York Times reported.
"It's both defensive and offensive," Devi Keller, director of global policy for the Semiconductor Industry Association, told the newspaper. "There is an opportunity for expansion." http://nyti.ms/2wPXjqx
In an opinion column published Tuesday on the Fox News website, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Tom Donohue said all parties "must commit to seizing the big opportunities while avoiding dangerous pitfalls."
"Negotiators are starting in the right place by committing to first and foremost do no harm—a principle the U.S. Chamber has insisted should guide any effort to modernize the agreement," Donohue said. "With the hard work set to begin, here are a few of the American business community's specific priorities for the negotiations." http://fxn.ws/2wfnbhD
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