Mexico economy minister: NAFTA must remain trilateral accord

Mexico’s Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo on Tuesday ruled out talk of a bilateral trade treaty with the United States. The minister stressed that the North American Free Trade Agreement, which is currently being renegotiated, must remain a three-country accord. Guajardo also told local TV that if the US government were to push ahead with metals tariffs that included Mexico, the country would be forced to respond with politically-targeted tit-for-tat responses. On Monday, Mexican and US officials pushed to speed up NAFTA negotiations, with the US floating the idea of reaching an agreement “in principle” in coming weeks to avoid political headwinds later this year, Reuters said.