Trump’s new trade deal isn’t so new

Vox

Trump’s new trade deal isn’t so new

The Trump administration is trying to create a new trade deal with Mexico and Canada that looks a lot like NAFTA. Canada was initially absent from the talks but has rushed officials to Washington to speak with the American president. [Washington Post / Heather Long]

The new agreement ensures that car manufacturers produce a bigger majority of mobile parts in the US, source resources such as steel and glass locally, and ensure workers in Canada and the US have higher wages. [NYT / Ana Swanson, Alan Rappeport, and Emily Baumgaertner]

Mexico has also promised to pass laws that strengthen workers’ rights, but the country has a poor track record of enforcing many laws.
[Vox / Alexia Fernández Campbell]

NAFTA renegotiation talks have been in the works for just over a year. Trump has since threatened to withdraw from the agreement multiple times. [The Balance / Kimberly Amadeo]

American relations with Canada and Mexico have also been poor since Trump imposed high tariffs that affected trade with the two countries. Canadian officials hope this agreement will be a way to bridge the gap left by the conflict. [WSJ / Paul Vieira]

Trump says he wants to do away with NAFTA and create two bilateral agreements with America’s neighboring countries. But he’s showing little care for the next battle: obtaining congressional approval for the new deal to go into effect and to terminate his current trading relationship with Canada (if the northern country doesn’t move forward with Mexico and the US) by Friday. [Politico / Doug Palmer]

Some say the new deal is merely a “rebranding” — Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto even referred to the younger agreement as “NAFTA.” [The Atlantic / Krishnadev Calamur]
In reality, it seems like the new deal just resolves a “stingy bilateral trade issue.” [Vox / Alex Ward]

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https://www.vox.com/vox-sentences/2018/8/29/17797976/vox-sentences-nafta-trump