MEXICO CITY, Jan 11 — The United States, Mexico and Canada will take steps to strengthen North America’s semiconductor industry, the White House said yesterday, as the countries try to resolve a dispute over Mexico’s energy policy that has angered investors.
The three governments would also increase cooperation to root out drug smuggling and improve legal pathways for migrants, the White House said, as US President Joe Biden, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau prepared for talks. The spat, which centres on Mexico’s efforts to give priority to its cash-strapped energy companies at the expense of private investors, is being closely watched at the summit.However, Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard suggested it would not feature prominently in yesterday’s talks, noting that a resolution process was underway and that the three leaders did not want to turn the summit into a dispute panel.
Ng said it was important to find a “mutually acceptable resolution” to the dispute, and also flagged concerns about the treatment of Canadian mining companies in Mexico. The two leaders committed to working with the UN Security Council on steps to support Haiti, which has been bedeviled by gang violence and political dysfunction.