The USMCA has shielded much of Mexico’s exports from President Donald Trump’s tariff campaign, but steel, aluminum, copper, heavy trucks, and tomatoes remain subject to significant U.S. duties. The talks, which Greer’s office said would continue regularly after the opening round, are expected to cover rules of origin, supply chain security, and regional competitiveness ahead of the agreement’s scheduled six-year review.
Mexico and the United States will hold their first bilateral trade talks on March 16, the two governments said Thursday, launching a round of negotiations ahead of the scheduled formal review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
Mexico’s Economy Secretary Marcelo Ebrard announced the opening date on X, saying he had arranged the session with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. The agenda, Ebrard said, would cover rules of origin, increasing production, supply chain security, and integrating the two economies to improve competitiveness against other regions. Greer’s office said the two sides would “meet regularly thereafter.”
The discussions are preparatory to a full USMCA review, which is scheduled as part of the agreement’s six-year cycle. The pact is the latest iteration of free-trade agreements among the U.S., Mexico, and Canada dating to the early 1990s, which have deeply intertwined the three North American economies.
What USMCA covers — and what it doesn’t
The agreement has allowed Mexico to sidestep much of President Donald Trump’s tariff pressure, because many Mexican goods qualify for the pact’s protections. But significant exceptions remain. Medium- and heavy-duty trucks from Mexico face a 25% tariff not covered by the agreement. A 50% tariff on steel, aluminum, and copper remains in effect, as does a 17% duty on Mexican tomatoes.
The tariff campaign has been pursued against the backdrop of a persistent U.S. trade deficit: U.S. net exports of goods and services stood at a deficit of approximately $762 billion on an annualized basis as of early March 2026, according to Bureau of Economic Analysis data, a structural imbalance that has underpinned the administration’s push for revised trade terms.
Strained ties, steady diplomacy
Relations among the three USMCA partners have been strained over the past year by Trump’s protectionist measures, which have set markets and investors on edge, the Associated Press reported. Ebrard and other Mexican officials have made repeated trips to Washington to meet with American counterparts in an effort to blunt additional tariff threats.
Mexico and Canada have separately been strengthening bilateral cooperation on trade and security matters ahead of the USMCA review, according to the Associated Press.