MEXICO: Biden To Visit Mexico Amid Ongoing USMCA Trade Dispute

Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) has told reporters that US President Joe Biden will visit Mexico in early January.

• AMLO's announcement of Biden's visit comes as a dispute over Mexico's energy policy continues to drag on.
• Washington has accused Mexico of breaching its commitments to the US-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement with an energy policy which preferences state-owned Mexican energy companies over private US and Canadian firms.
• AMLO has oscillated between talking up attempts to resolve the dispute and defending his flagship policy drive for "energy sovereignty."
• US and Mexican negotiations were extended last month as the US considers requesting an arbitration panel to resolve the dispute. A panel could potentially pave the way for the US and Canada to pursue retaliatory measures, such as tariffs on exports, against Mexico.
• Duncan Wood at the Wilson Center writes: “The biggest mover right now is actually AMLO trying to postpone US action under USMCA over the energy legislation. What he’s doing is he’s playing for time in the negotiation over the consultation and hence the panel. He’s trying to put that off for as long as possible.”