Mexico's top economic official says renegotiations for the North American Free Trade Agreement should be completed in the next two to three weeks, but the most "complex issues are still pending," the Washington Examiner reported.
In an interview with the Spanish-language newspaper Vanguardia, Ildefonso Guajardo said "70 or 80 percent is already in black and white," meaning they are written down, the Examiner reported.
"But the most complex issues are still pending," he said.
The Examiner noted Guajardo's optimistic assessment matches that of Trump administration officials, noting Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue told the Examiner last week the White House believes the talks could be wrapped up by the end of June.
The Mexican economic minister is meeting with his U.S. and Canadian counterparts in Washington in talks that are expected to continue through Friday. The Examiner reported the three are said to be finished rewriting a chapter on telecommunications.
According to the Examiner, Canada and Mexico presented a united front against many of the Trump administration's more far-reaching proposals. The administration has reportedly softened on some of its requests, such as requiring more of a car's components to be made in the United States, the news outlet reported.
Both the United States and Mexico are under pressure to complete a deal by midsummer. July 1 is Mexico's presidential election, and opposition candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador, a fierce critic of President Donald Trump, is leading in the polls, the Examiner reported.
In the United States, the Trade Promotion Authority — the law that limits Congress to strict up or down votes on trade deals — expires July 1 and it is not clear if Congress will vote extend it, the Examiner noted.
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