Related Post
US President Joe Biden will seek a regional consensus on a new economic agenda to optimize existing trade deals with Latin America, according to US officials.
As host of the regional forum, the Biden Administration is putting the finishing touches on the agenda to be addressed next week in los angeles. During the event, and according to high-ranking government officials who declined to be identified when discussing the matter, quoted by AP y Reutersthe main message will be that “business as usual cannot continue” in the hemisphere.
One of the main objectives for the Government during the event will be to help the region recover from the economic blow suffered by the pandemic.
“We are going to use the summit to align regional leaders, the private sector and civil society behind a new and ambitious economic agenda for Latin America and the Caribbean,” quoted an official, who also explained that aid could arrive on the existing free trade agreements.
According to the sources, the approach will be to try to take advantage of the commercial agreements that are already in force. These could include the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which entered into force in 2020and the existing bilateral pacts with several Latin American countries.
The officials agreed that Washington is planning an ambitious agenda, but gave few details.
Vice President Kamala Harris will lead a new cooperation mission focused on climate change in the Caribbean, they advanced, and the Government is preparing a new initiative to strengthen health systems in the hemisphere. In addition to considering more conversations about immigration.
Summit preparations have been marred by the threat of a boycott by some regional leaders, including Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, if Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba are excluded.
* With information from AP and Reuters.
Connect with the Voice of America! Subscribe to our channel YouTubeand turn on notifications, or follow us on social media: Facebook, Twitter e Instagram.
