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🇵🇾 Paraguay /Economy & Trade

Trudeau urges Mexico not to ‘fall into the trap’ set by the United States in USMCA talks

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire From a news agency Ongoing story
  • Former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urged Mexico to act with Canada and avoid provocations during the review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
  • Trudeau cited Canada’s 2018 decision to leave negotiations before reaching a later agreement he described as better.
  • The trilateral review has become strained after the United States rejected an automatic 16-year extension and imposed 50% tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum.

Justin Trudeau told Mexico not to “fall into the trap” of U.S. pressure during the review of the trade agreement governing North American commerce. Speaking at the annual México Siglo XXI event in Mexico City, the former Canadian prime minister urged the two countries to act together and remain calm.

not fall into the trap

· Justin TrudeauTrudeau urged Mexico to resist pressure and provocations from Washington during the trade negotiations.

Asked how to deal with an “abuser” at an international negotiating table, Trudeau said his experience had taught him to “deescalate, stay calm and not fall into the trap or provocations” created by unilateral demands. He pointed to the 2018 negotiations, when Canada left the talks rather than accept what he described as pressure from its neighbor.

“Leaving the deal, although it might hurt, was very important. That is what we did, and six months later we reached a much better agreement,” Trudeau said. He added that Canada’s government was taking the same approach in the current commercial negotiations.

deescalate, stay calm and not fall into the trap or provocations

· Justin TrudeauHe described the approach he learned from negotiating with unilateral demands.

Trudeau also recalled the close cooperation between Ottawa and Mexico City during the negotiations that produced the trilateral pact in 2018. He said the two governments worked together to prevent outside pressure from splitting the bloc and to secure an equitable arrangement for the region.

Leaving the deal, although it might hurt, was very important. That is what we did, and six months later we reached a much better agreement

· Justin TrudeauHe recalled Canada’s strategy during the 2018 negotiations.

The formal first review began on July 1, 2026. Since then, the talks have fractured after Washington refused to extend the agreement automatically for 16 years and instead activated annual reviews to seek greater concessions. Relations between Washington and Ottawa deteriorated further after the United States imposed 50% tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum, prompting a reciprocal response from Prime Minister Mark Carney. Mexico’s government, led by Claudia Sheinbaum, has continued bilateral dialogue to protect certainty, according to the report.

There is no win-lose in international politics

· Justin TrudeauTrudeau argued that agreements that do not benefit all participating countries can ultimately harm the winner.
About this summary

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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