US and Mexican Trade Officials reported on the accomplishments of the High Level Economic Dialogue (HLED) held last week between Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, US Trade Representative Katherine Tai and their counterparts. Among the accomplishments was the launch of a "joint semiconductor action plan" to accelerate bilateral integration and attract new investment.
“I think one of the most interesting topics that we discussed today was specifically supply chains in our region and especially semiconductors and conductors with a very clear strategy: for this region to become the most powerful region in production of semiconductors and conductors in the world,” Mexican Foreign Secretary Alicia Bárcena declared.
Left unresolved are the core vexing topics in the bilateral relationship, including GMO Corn, Steel and Aluminum, and Energy and Telecoms.
In response to a question, Ms. Tai said it will take months before the next step in the bilateral USMCA dispute over Mexico’s ban on biotech corn. Ms. Tai met separately with Mexican Secretary of Economy Raquel Buenrostro, but the corn dispute did not come up because it is now tied up in the dispute settlement process, the USTR said.
The two officials did discuss the importance of addressing concerns regarding the recent surges in Mexican exports of certain steel and aluminum products to the United States and the lack of transparency regarding Mexico’s steel and aluminum imports from third countries, according to a readout of the meeting.
They also agreed on the importance of enhancing steel and aluminum trade monitoring efforts and instructed their teams to work towards the reinstatement of Mexico’s export monitoring regime.
Ms. Tai stressed the urgency of Mexico making meaningful progress in the ongoing consultations under the USMCA regarding Mexico’s energy measures and expressed increasing concern with Mexico’s spectrum fee methodology, which continues to inhibit competition in the telecommunications sector in Mexico.
The Participant's Joint Statement noted:
"Through the HLED the United States and Mexico are closely coordinating economic development assistance to address the root causes of irregular migration in northern Central America and to help catalyze economic development for rural communities in southern Mexico. Both governments are also collaborating with industry, universities, and other stakeholders to enhance workforce development. The United States and Mexico are leading efforts to create a more inclusive, highly skilled workforce equipped for success in the semiconductor, ICT, automotive, and other sectors.
In our meeting today, we reviewed our joint accomplishments, including those highlighted at the HLED Mid-Year Review in April 2023 [See High-Level Economic Dialogue (HLED) Mid-Year Review Fact Sheet]. Among these highlights were steps taken by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Mexican Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) to jointly promote the use of innovative environmental technologies, and the first U.S.-Mexico Climate Youth Justice Forum hosted by the EPA, SEMARNAT, and the North American Development Bank. In addition, both countries worked to enhance commercial cybersecurity collaboration and facilitate increased trade in medical devices and pharmaceuticals through regulatory standards cooperation, executed a joint public awareness campaign to support innovation by reducing or eliminating counterfeit (trademark infringing) goods and pirated (copyright infringing) content from supply chains, and hosted a two-day forum on 5G, ICT investment and trade, and next-generation ICT networks.
Finally, the United States and Mexico explored deepening collaboration in ongoing areas of work and considered new potential areas of joint activity. We discussed how to seize emerging opportunities through the HLED to promote manufacturing investment and generate employment and prosperity as the United States implements the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act – which together devote more than $400 billion to strengthening regional semiconductor supply chains, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and boosting demand for electric vehicles and clean energy technologies. We discussed how to continue medical device and pharmaceutical regulatory collaboration, and advance other work. We also considered ways to address the climate crisis and strengthen regional energy security.
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