U.S. trade negotiators are pushing to finish NAFTA 2.0 talks with Canada and Mexico as quickly as possible, a White House spokeswoman said Monday. The White House declined to comment on a Bloomberg report that President Donald Trump wants a deal in principle by the Summit of Americas meeting in two weeks. "Negotiations are continuing on a daily basis with the goal of a successful and rapid conclusion, and the NAFTA countries will announce plans as warranted," the spokeswoman said. "As Ambassador [Robert] Lighthizer said in March, time is running very short to complete a new NAFTA agreement."
The Bloomberg article said the Trump administration hoped to announce a deal in principle by the Summit of the Americas meeting in Peru that begins April 13. Bloomberg sourced the information to "three people familiar" with the NAFTA talks.
All this is ongoing as China overnight ratcheted up likelihood of a trade war with the U.S., announcing higher tariffs on soybeans and 105 other commodities, worth some $50 billion.
