Trade officials in Mexico say they hope to close seven chapters in the next round of North American Free Trade Agreement Talks, planned for Washington, D.C. next month. Mexico trade officials told Politico the goal of the next round is to close seven chapters that are 90 percent complete and include telecommunications, digital trade, technical barriers to trade, energy, state-owned enterprises and financial services. Mexico expects the talks in the next round could close a total of 13, or 14 chapters, if all goes well. Agriculture trade, including the trade of dairy products, are not expected to be negotiated until the final rounds of the trade talks. And, an American Farm Bureau Federation economist speculates the talks won’t be finished by the end of this year. Negotiators from the U.S., Mexico and Canada have closed six chapters and four annexes so far, but as all three countries face various elections later this year, which will slow the process.
