WASHINGTON, United States, March 6, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The United States and Mexico said Thursday that negotiators will hold bilateral talks this month ahead of a joint review of the US-Mexico-Canada trade pact, in discussions that come amid tariff pressure from President Donald Trump.

Negotiators are set to hold their first meeting the week of March 16 and convene regularly thereafter, the US Trade Representative's office said.

Under the originally agreed terms, the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) is due to be reviewed in July.

Trump signed and praised the pact during his first presidency, but has reportedly weighed ditching the agreement entirely as tensions with Canada mount.

Since returning to the White House, he has also threatened allies and competitors with fast-changing and sweeping tariffs, although he has created carveouts for a swath of Mexican and Canadian imports entering his country.

For now, Dominic LeBlanc, Ottawa's minister for Canada-US trade, has voiced optimism over the future of the agreement.

LeBlanc is due to be in Washington on Friday where he is set to meet US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.

"They will discuss the upcoming trilateral review of the (USMCA), as well as bilateral concerns," LeBlanc's spokesperson told AFP.

For the US-Mexico talks, Greer and Mexican Secretary of Economy Marcelo Ebrard have instructed negotiators to "begin a scoping discussion" on needed measures to ensure that benefits of the agreement "accrue primarily to the parties."

This includes "reducing dependence on imports from outside the region, strengthening rules of origin, and enhancing the security of North American supply chains," the USTR's office said in a statement.

LeBlanc last week said that he believed Washington was ready to be specific about their desired USMCA adjustments.

He also indicated in remarks that Trump's dismissive rhetoric about the USMCA does not match his trade team's posture.