Today, the Secretary Ildefonso Guajardo, accompanied by the Undersecretary of Foreign Trade, Francisco de Rosenzweig, concluded a working visit to Washington, D.C., where he met with the US Trade Representative, Michael Froman, and with other officials of the American government, to address issues on the bilateral agenda, as well as the status of the negotiations for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), in preparation for the next ministerial meeting to be held in Australia, from 25 to 27 October.

The Secretary Guajardo held meetings with key members of the business community in the United States, including the Emergency Committee for American Trade (ECAT), which brings together experts in foreign trade of the United States, and with the Chamber of Commerce of that country, which brings companies with extensive trade and investment ties in Mexico, with the aim of exploring actions that promote the bilateral relationship.

The Secretary of Economy also gave a lecture at the Woodrow Wilson Center, where he spoke about the transformation of the country through structural reforms promoted by the President of Mexico, Enrique Peña Nieto. Such reforms will have a direct impact on the competitiveness of Mexico and all region of North America. He also shared advances in the Mexico – USA Agenda, achieved through the High Level Economic Dialogue (DEAN, by its initials in Spanish), and other bilateral mechanisms and actions that promote a larger trade exchange as well as the investment attraction.

This working visit gives continuity and follow up to the commitment of the Leaders of North America to continue working on issues related to international trade, in order to strengthen the integration of the supply chains in North America and make of this, the most competitive region in America, globally.

The United States is the main trading partner of Mexico. According to the Bank of Mexico, from 1993, a year prior to the entry into force of the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), to 2013, the bilateral trade increased almost six times (5.6), from 88.206 million dollars (mdd) to 486.701 million dollars.