Trade ministers from the United States and Canada expressed concern on Wednesday about Mexico’s energy policies, as they met with their Mexican counterpart to mark the one-year anniversary of a regional trade pact.
U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai told reporters during a joint news conference that the United States is closely following Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s approach to the oil and power sectors, and seemed to suggest underlying differences.
“With respect to the energy policies that we see being discussed and envisioned by the Lopez Obrador administration, we are watching very closely. … We are raising our concerns. We are here to engage,” Tai said, without citing specific issues.
Her answer came in response to a question about the Mexican government’s decision late last week to choose state-owned Pemex to run a major shared oil find instead of a private consortium led by U.S. oil company Talos Energy Inc, which made the discovery in 2017.
Canadian Trade Minister Mary Ng reiterated Canada’s “ongoing concern with the investment climate in Mexico specifically in energy and mining sectors,” but welcomed the expected reopening of the San Rafael mine operated by Canadian miner Americas Gold and Silver Corp.