Mexican trucks inside the United States. Other conflicts include parcel delivery in Mexico, cement and steel. Five years after NAFTA was ratified, Mexico has also signed a vast array of free-trade agreements. Except for an agreement with Chile, that preceded the NAFTA negotiations, all of the others were made to be NAFTA-compatible. These include agreements (or ongoing negotiations) with: Bolivia, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Colombia, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, Ecuador, Peru and Trinidad Tobago. Negotiations with the Mercosur nations have had a complex dynamic that transcends the trade arena, as is described in section four. In addition, Chile and Mexico renegotiated, expanded and updated the original agreement to both make it NAFTA-compatible, as well as to include not only trade in goods, but also safeguards, services and intellectual property. This agreement is awaiting legislative approval in both countries. Needless to say that, while politically Mexico would have neither problems nor objections of any kind to adding Chile to NAFTA, its inherent economic interest clearly lies in maintaining NAFTA as is, as long as possible.In a recent speech by Carlos Heredia before Congress he states: “I think, and my party thinks, that the economic strategy that has been in place for the last 18 years is not delivering for the majority of the people in Mexico. The structural adjustment policies and trade liberalization policies have sharpened inequality and income disparity in Mexico. These policies have benefited only a small circle of economic agents of corporations, mostly those already connected to the international economy, to the detriment of the majority of micro and small and medium businesses, workers and the average Mexican citizen. So when people say that the fundamentals are sound, that the economy is performing well, the relevant question up front is for whom? It reminds me of saying by our Br...
