Trump signs trade deal with Mexico and Canada
US President Donald Trump and leaders from Canada and Mexico have signed the successor to the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta).
The revised deal has been renamed as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA.
Renegotiating Nafta was a key pledge of Mr Trump’s 2016 White House campaign. The US President claimed the update “changes the trade landscape forever”.
USMCA will govern more than $1tn worth of trade between the countries.
Shortly after the signing, Mr Trump tweeted: “The terrible NAFTA will soon be gone. The USMCA will be fantastic for all!”
The deal comes after more than a year of negotiations between the countries, with agreement on new car and dairy industry regulations proving particularly challenging.
Throughout the start of his presidency, President Trump had repeatedly threatened to withdraw the US from Nafta, unless he could secure a better deal.
However, after a deal was agreed in principle on 30 September, Mexican President Pena Nieto hailed it as a “win-win-win.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was less enthusiastic about the new regional trade pact on Friday, but said the USMCA would resolve the threat of “serious economic uncertainty” that “would have gotten more damaging”.
In May this year, President Trump slapped increased tariffs on Canadian and Mexican steel and aluminium coming into the US.
Mr Trudeau told Trump at the signing that the two leaders should work together to reduce those tariffs.
Politicians from each country will still need to ratify the USMCA before it can take effect.
Source: BBC