Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said earlier this week that a deal on the North American Free Trade Agreement is “very close.”
But according to a Toronto Star article, U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade chief said that a deal is “nowhere near close.”
Trudeau had expressed optimism again on Thursday, saying a good deal was “on the table” and that negotiators were down to their “last conversations.” But U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer struck a markedly different tone in an unusual statement later in the day.
“As I said last week, there are gaping differences on intellectual property, agricultural market access, de minimis levels, energy, labor, rules of origin, geographical indications, and much more,” said Lighthizer, promising to “continue to engage in negotiations.”
(Toronto Star)
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