March 5 (Reuters) - U.S. and Mexican negotiators will hold bilateral discussions starting the week of March 16 as part of the joint review of the United States–Mexico–Canada trade agreement, the U.S. Trade Representative's office said on Thursday.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Mexican Secretary of Economy Marcelo Ebrard have instructed negotiators to begin a scoping discussion on the measures to ensure the benefits of the trade agreement accrue primarily to the parties, including by
reducing dependence on imports from outside the region, according to a statement from Greer's office.
Negotiators are expected to meet regularly as part of the joint review, according to the statement.
The Trump administration is reviewing the trilateral agreement enacted during President Donald Trump's first term in the White House, and faces a July 1 deadline to notify Congress whether it plans to change the agreement.
Greer said late last month that U.S. and Canadian trade officials were planning to meet in the coming weeks to discuss the trade pact.
USMCA is the modern, trilateral free-trade agreement that took effect in 2020, replacing the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement.
The pact has shielded Mexico and Canada from the bulk of President Donald Trump's tariffs, as goods that comply with its rules of origin can enter the U.S. duty-free.
(Reporting by Bhargav Acharya and Ismail Shakil; Editing by Daphne Psaledakis and Nick Zieminski)
