Bush and signed into law by President Bill Clinton, spurred trade between the three countries by reducing Mexico’s high tariffs on goods from Canada and the United States. Midterm elections in the United States on Nov. 6 could also complicate the deal. Mr. Lighthizer reiterated in his remarks on Monday that he hoped to win the support of some Democratic lawmakers. The United States has proposed significantly raising the so-called rules of origin, which govern how much of a car needs to be manufactured within the free-trade area to be exempt from tariffs. The change is likely to raise the proportion of a car’s value produced by the United States, because many high-tech industries are centered there.

Source: New York Times January 29, 2018 17:15 UTC