US, Mexico agree to begin talks on USMCA reforms, timing unclear

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Mexican Secretary of Economy ⁠Marcelo Ebrard agreed on Wednesday to begin formal discussions on possible reforms to the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, Greer's office said.

Possible reforms for the USMCA Joint Review include stronger rules of origin for industrial goods, more collaboration on critical minerals, increasing efforts to defend workers and producers, and U.S.-Mexican efforts to combat "the relentless dumping of manufactured goods in our region," ‌the USTR's office said in ‌a statement.

USTR gave no details on timing for the talks and its statement did not say whether Canada would be involved. A USTR spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for clarification.


Under ‌the trilateral trade deal that took effect in 2020, the U.S., Mexico and Canada must launch a joint review of the trade pact by July 1, its sixth anniversary, to confirm their intention to renew it for a 16-year period or make modifications, in what USTR has described as a "sunset clause."

Greer told lawmakers in December the USMCA's "shortcomings are such that a rubberstamp of the agreement is not in the national interest" of the U.S. He has ​said the pact is not equipped to deal with surges of exports and investment from non-market economies ​such as China into the region.

U.S. President Donald Trump has been more blunt, saying this month that the trilateral trade ‌pact was "irrelevant" for the U.S. ‍despite a highly integrated North American economy.

After Wednesday's meeting, Ebrard called the discussion positive in a social media ‍video, and said the two sides talked about next steps for the USMCA and covered ‌new U.S. tariffs, including those affecting Mexico's auto exports to the U.S.

"This year it has to be reviewed, as you know," Ebrard said of USMCA. "We have already moved forward on many issues so that the review goes as quickly and as well as possible."

USMCA has shielded Mexico from the bulk of President Trump's tariffs, as goods that comply with its rules of origin can enter the U.S. duty-free.

Mexico's Economy Ministry on Wednesday reported that the country's exports reached a record high of nearly $665 billion in 2025, growing 7.6% from the previous year, citing data from the national statistics institute. The United States accounted for 83% of the exports, followed by Canada at 3%, China at ‍2%, Germany at 1% and South Korea at 1%, according to the report.

THREATS TO CANADA

U.S. trade relations with Canada have worsened over the past week with President Trump last weekend threatening to slap 100% duties on Canadian goods if Ottawa ‍proceeds with a limited ⁠trade deal with China that is expected ⁠to allow imports of up to 49,000 Chinese-made electric vehicles.

U.S.-Canada trade relations had already soured even before Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney made a speech at the World Economic Forum that angered Trump.

Carney on Wednesday in comments to lawmakers denied that he has retreated from his speech in Davos, Switzerland, in which he urged nations to accept the end of the rules-based global order that Washington had once championed.

This drew criticism from U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who cautioned Carney against picking a fight with the U.S. as the USMCA review approaches.

Bessent said on CNBC television that Carney "rose to power on an anti-American, anti-Trump message, and that's not a great place to be when you're negotiating with an economy that is multiples larger than you are and your biggest trading partner."