RENEGOTIATION OF NAFTA
Asian nations seek clarity on US trade policy
The Asia-Pacific watches developments in North American Free Trade Agreement renegotiation for US trade policy clues
Hanoi — Asian governments are watching with some anxiety to see what the fate of the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta) is as the Trump administration kicks off a review. "All of us are keen to know whether America is committed to have an open, liberal trading environment," Malaysian Trade Minister Mustapa Mohamed said on Friday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation ministerial meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam. Mustapa said ministers were "anxious to hear" from new US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. "In this first meeting the first thing is to get some clarity on protectionism — this America First and how it is going to affect us in this part of the world," he said. JOBS DISASTER The US government served notice to Congress on Thursday of the administration’s intention to renegotiate Nafta. During the election campaign, President Donald Trump called the deal with Mexico and Canada a "disaster" that cost millions of US jobs and hollowed out the manufactu...
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