MEXICO CITY, Jan 10, 2023 (BSS/AFP) - The leaders of the United States,
Mexico and Canada are expected to set aside simmering trade tensions and
pursue deeper economic integration at talks on Tuesday that will also cover
security and migration.
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador will host his US counterpart
Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for three-way talks
known as the "Three Amigos" summit.
While efforts to tackle migration and drug smuggling dominated a bilateral
meeting between Lopez Obrador and Biden on Monday, the focus is expected to
shift to the economy when Trudeau joins them.
Reinforcing regional economic ties "allows the United States to be the
manufacturing powerhouse that President Biden has talked about but also is a
win-win for Mexico and Canada," White House National Security Advisor Jake
Sullivan told reporters.
Furthermore, it "reduces our dependencies on other countries and other parts
of the world who don't necessarily share the same values that we share with
our partners here in North America," he added.
Mexico hopes to benefit from Washington's efforts to reduce its reliance on
Asia-based manufacturers.
Last year, the Latin American nation was invited by the United States to join
a multi-billion dollar push to boost semiconductor manufacturing to compete
with China,
Biden revived the "Three Amigos" talks in 2021, seeking to restore normalcy
to the three-way partnership after his predecessor Donald Trump shelved the
regional summit.
But relations between Lopez Obrador and Biden have not been entirely smooth.
Mexico faces a formal trade complaint from the United States and Canada under
a North American trade deal.
Washington and Ottawa say Lopez Obrador's push to boost the state's role in
the energy industry hurts foreign investors and hinders the development of
clean energy.
While Biden and Trudeau may raise their concerns with Lopez Obrador in
private about the energy reforms, in public they are likely to emphasize the
potential for closer collaboration.
- Signs of discord -
Differences also surfaced on Monday between the United States and Mexico in
their approaches to dealing with surging migrant arrivals at their shared
border.
"It is time to end this oblivion, this abandonment, this disdain for Latin
America and the Caribbean," Lopez Obrador, who wants increased US investment
in the region, said at the start of bilateral talks.
Biden defended Washington's record, saying it had spent "tens of billions of
dollars" in the past 15 years alone that had benefited the region.
"The United States provides more foreign aid than every other country just
about combined," he said.
"Unfortunately, our responsibility just doesn't end in the Western
Hemisphere," Biden added.
Amnesty International urged the North American leaders to make the rights of
refugees and migrants a "top priority" at their talks and to "stop
implementing inhuman shared migration policies."
"As the number of people fleeing violence and persecution continues to grow,
protecting the human rights of migrants and refugees is of critical
importance," said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Amnesty's Americas director.
"Instead of increasing barriers for people on the move and subjecting them to
further hardship, President Biden, President Lopez Obrador and Prime Minister
Trudeau must adopt measures to protect their rights in North America and
abroad," Guevara-Rosas added.
On Thursday, Biden announced an expansion of powers to expel people showing
up at the border without clearance.
At the same time, a legal, strictly enforced pathway will be created for up
to 30,000 migrants a month from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela.
Another priority for Biden is tackling what he called "the plague of
fentanyl," referring to the often-deadly opioid smuggled across the border by
Mexican drug cartels.
In 2021, the United States and Mexico announced a revamp of their fight
against drug trafficking to address the root causes of migration, encourage
economic development and bolster curbs against cross-border arms smuggling.
