The FINANCIAL — Business leaders from the United States and Mexico on December 9 concluded the fifth meeting of the U.S.-Mexico CEO Dialogue, a bilateral private sector forum fostering conversation on key economic and trade issues that impact the relationship between the two countries.
Led by Thomas J. Donohue, U.S. Chamber of Commerce president and CEO; and John G. Rice, vice chairman of General Electric and co-chair of the Dialogue, the event highlighted advances in the Dialogue’s goals and discussed next steps in further enhancing the economic relationship between the United States and Mexico.
“Few markets around the globe are as important to U.S. companies as Mexico, and this week’s Dialogue further advanced this vital economic relationship,” Donohue said. “We concluded today’s meeting by recognizing important progress we’ve made since our last dialogue in June, specifically in the areas of border trade optimization, border transformation, energy, infrastructure, labor mobility and workforce development.”
During the meetings—led on the Mexican side by Consejo Coordinador Empresarial president Gerardo Gutiérrez Candiani and by Alfa Chairman and Dialogue co-chair Armando Garza—participants finalized plans for advancing bilateral priority policy initiatives in partnership with government colleagues from the U.S.-Mexico High Level Economic Dialogue, as both sides prepare for the next HLED and CEO Dialogue, scheduled for early 2016 in Washington. These recommendations include efforts to make commerce transported by rail more efficient, uniting private and government sector leaders in the shared border region, and establishing new standards for regulatory cooperation in the energy sector, according to U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
The private-sector leaders also called for the governments of North America to develop and advance a positive long-term vision for enhanced continental cooperation and integration based on four pillars: workforce development, energy, infrastructure, and labor mobility.
“This Dialogue started here two years ago with an overarching objective of connecting business leaders and regional, state and national government in both countries,” said Candiani. “And the progress we have made this week and over the previous four Dialogues highlight the success we’ve had in doing that, as well as establishing the continued competitiveness and growth potential for the U.S.-Mexico bilateral economic relationship.”
The U.S.-Mexico CEO Dialogue is a mechanism for working toward the goals of increased economic participation between the United States and Mexico that Presidents Barack Obama and Enrique Peña Nieto set when they announced the U.S.-Mexico High Level Economic Dialogue. The findings and recommendations produced during this week’s discussions continue to help inform lawmakers on a host of business and economic issues, providing meaningful private-sector input for economic policymaking in both governments.
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