WASHINGTON – United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai today released the following statement after the United States and Mexico concluded the High-Level Economic Dialogue (HLED). The HLED will advance strategic economic and social priorities central to fostering regional economic growth, job creation, investment in our people, and reducing inequality and poverty in all of its dimensions.
“As friends, allies, and neighbors – there are few relationships more important to the United States than the one with Mexico. The HLED structure is an important step in creating a general framework that allows us to work cooperatively on a positive agenda. It underscores the importance and breadth of the economic relationship between our two countries, this work is as an important complement to our bilateral cooperation in other areas.
“Investing in our people—and our workers especially—is one of our top priorities, and a critical aspect of the Biden-Harris Administration’s worker-centric economic policies. Thousands of people and vehicles cross our shared border every day, and the value of our bilateral trade in goods and services is more than $1.5 billion per day. However, our relationship is not purely economic. Our peoples have a shared history and culture, and the ties between our two countries go back centuries. That human connection reinforces and distinguishes our relationship – and maintaining these close ties depends on us investing in our people.
“Investing in our people also means helping the hundreds of thousands of SMEs who already trade across our borders to grow their businesses and create good-paying jobs in their communities. Coordinating joint efforts to promote innovation; promoting investment in entrepreneurs and SMEs; promoting joint workforce development strategies that prioritize the technological skills and training needed to meet the demands of the 21st century, and expanding access to economic opportunity for underrepresented groups, can only make us stronger.
“Building a more highly skilled workforce in North American will help create better career opportunities for young people and older workers who may not have college degrees, as well as a more competitive labor economy that will give workers greater mobility and marketability.
“The success of our work under the HLED will depend on our openness to the views of a wide variety of stakeholders. I am a firm believer that policy and government initiatives should not be carried out in a vacuum or reflect the views of only a select group of stakeholders. When we hear from more people, from all walks of life in both the United States and Mexico, we get the best advice – and we are better equipped to address the needs of the greatest number of our citizens. This principle has guided our collaborative partnership, and I know it will continue to inspire our work in the future.
###
