Significance: Peña Nieto went beyond reiterating his government’s line that “dialogue and negotiation” would be his watchwords rather than “confrontation or submission”. He also broadly outlined his negotiating stance, listing 10 goals, including safeguarding the unchecked flow of remittances from Mexican expatriates living in the US, worth some US$4bn annually, and extracting a commitment from the US to respect the legal rights of Mexican citizens. Peña Nieto said five principles would underpin this strategy: national sovereignty; respect for the rule of law; a constructive, proactive vision; North American integration; and an integral approach to talks, embracing not just trade but migration, security issues, border security, terrorist threats, and drugs and arms trafficking. President Trump has wasted no time in withdrawing the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) multilateral trade agreement, signing an executive decree to that effect yesterday, and in formally announcing his intention to renegotiate the terms of the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta).
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