MEXICO CITY, Sept 2 (Reuters) – Mexican Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard met U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Wednesday as Mexico pushed for progress on U.S. tariffs on cars and steel, a key source of friction in the countries’ trade relationship.
President Claudia Sheinbaum said in her daily morning press conference that Ebrard was in the United States seeking agreements on the tariffs, while Mexico’s economy ministry added that he and Lutnick also discussed bilateral trade and regional technological innovation.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of a G20 innovation gathering in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, which Lutnick was hosting as part of the U.S.-led ministerial.
The talks come as Mexico and the United States continue negotiations tied to the review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) trade agreement.
Mexico has argued that U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum are unjustified and has also objected to measures affecting automobiles, saying they run against the spirit of North America’s tightly integrated manufacturing supply chains.
(Reporting by Aida Pelaez-Fernandez; Aditional reporting by Raul Cortes; Editing by Mark Porter and Kylie Madry)
