Thread: Mexican official: We could leave NAFTA ‘if there are no clear benefits’

Mexican official: We could leave NAFTA ‘if there are no clear benefits’

01/24/17 12:36 PM EST



Mexico is willing to leave the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) if negotiations with the United States go sour, the Mexican secretary of the Economy said Tuesday.

"If there are no clear benefits [for Mexico], there is no sense in staying," Ildefonso Guajardo Villarreal told the Televisa network.

Guajardo, one of the original negotiators of NAFTA, will attend meetings with top White House officials this week, along with Foreign Secretary Luis Videgaray.

President Donald Trump vowed to renegotiate or withdraw from NAFTA on the campaign trail, calling it the "worst trade deal maybe ever signed anywhere."He reiterated his pledge on Sunday, saying, “We’re going to start renegotiating, having to do with NAFTA.”

The prospect of an American withdrawal from NAFTA has already rattled Mexican markets, with the peso losing about 15 percent of its value to the dollar since the election.

Although the Mexican economy depends on NAFTA to a much greater degree than the United States’ economy, Guajardo said Mexico has enough ammunition to seek a positive result at the negotiating table.

"One can't sit at the table without ammunition to play," he said earlier this month.

Guajardo said Mexico would approach the negotiation seeking to "build a solution."

Although he viewed speedy renegotiation as a net positive, Guajardo said the reality of trade negotiations would stabilize the process.

Trump "has understood that the authorization that Congress gives defines exact timing and movement, because to negotiate first he needs authorization from members, he then has 90 days to lobby and only then can he enact changes," Guajardo said.

Guajardo said negotiations should yield a win-win situation, but Mexico is ready to pull out of the agreement if necessary.

"We can't prevent them from building the wall on their side of the border, but if they want to make us pay for the wall or if they try to stop remittances, Mexico will leave the table," he said.

http://thehill.com/latino/315861-mex...clear-benefits

I don't believe there are presently any advantages to the United States to remain in NAFTA. We see how their people feel about US when they protest, riot and commit crimes in our country. We see how little respect they have for our workers when they arrange labor and smuggling networks to steal our jobs, bring their families to steal more jobs, and use their "ethnicity" of Spanish-speaking to steal spots in colleges and universities and even a priority in hiring because of it.

This is not respect, this is not friendship, this is not a benefit to our country, citizens or workers. It's not even a benefit to the companies who hire them. We've seen what NAFTA has done to our manufacturing base, the swath of demise and degradation to our industrial sector and the loss of all the crucial economic benefits those industries once provided our people. We see them exploit our public assistance programs every time we're in a Walmart.

There are no benefits for the US, only harm, danger, loss, death, poverty and debt. That is what NAFTA and the Bush I vision of a "new world order" handed the Americans.

Time to throw that fish back.

Mexico brings nothing to the table that benefits the US, we do not need them. One thing they could bring is negotiating taking the millions of illegal aliens back to their own country that would save us billions. That is about all they have to bargain with at this point.

The "remittances" will stop when we deport the illegals and cut off ALL the freebies.

E-verify everything...Jobs, All Medical including Hospitals, School, Housing, Welfare, Food Stamps, Social Security, Disability, IRS, Driver's Licenses, all government benefits and services.

E-verify our public taxpayer funded schools...that is a government, taxpayer funded benefit to citizens of this Country. NO illegal alien should have the benefit of enrolling in.

Throw the fish back and start deporting.

Empty threats coming from a corrupt Government. They know they have so much more to lose than we do. Remittances alone makes up a huge part of their economy. They are trying desperately to "save face" and look tough, but they KNOW if the remittances stop AND ALL their invaders get sent home all hope is lost.

With a REAL wall , 5000 new border guards and REAL TOE's (Terms of Engagement) given to our Guards the jig is up for Mexico.

I'm sure, given their statement about "clear benefits", that Mexico fully understands that since we have no clear benefits at all from NAFTA why most Americans want to withdraw from NAFTA. Our government did a terrible thing involving US in this travesty and we need our government to end it, "right here, right now".

Just end it and lets get on down the road. We'll still trade with Mexico. Ending NAFTA doesn't mean we still won't buy stuff from you. We may however charge a border tax. I love the idea of a border tax on most manufactured goods. It'll pay for the wall and the cost of all the damage illegal aliens from Mexico have cost our country. Another easier way to balance the trade deficits is of course the FairTax that taxes all imports the same as US products sold in the US at the retail level. Exports are exempt. Its 23% on new goods and services, and does not require trade agreements with anyone. Every import that ends up in a retail sale or service in the US is taxed the same as US goods at the final point of sale.

We can also have additional taxes on imports if you want them. The FairTax eliminates all income-based taxes but doesn't eliminate tariffs, duties or excise taxes.

"We can't prevent them from building the wall on their side of the border, but if they want to make us pay for the wall or if they try to stop remittances, Mexico will leave the table," he said.

What doesn't he understand - take your citizens back to your country, we have no jobs for them therefore no more remittances. We are a country with borders and illegals are NOT welcome here. OUT!

Exactly!! No remittances at all by illegal aliens, this needs to be banned entirely. It's money laundering in its truest sense. Their incomes and earnings are in violation of US law, so when they send this illegally obtained money out of the US, it is money laundering. If that's a "problem" for Mexico or any other country, too bad!!

I know some will disagree but my honest opinion is that if the "We're Here To Stay" crowd refuses to self deport and we have to come after them, then EVERYTHING they own should be seized as ill gotten gains! I'm sick to death of their demands and "I'm untouchable" attitudes