Mexico’s Economy Secretary Raquel Buenrostro will focus on maintaining friendly negotiations with the United States in the face of the current trade dispute over energy sector policies under the USMCA.

The parties “promised to continue consultations and enable working groups between the two countries, promoting continued dialogue,” the economy ministry said via Twitter after the new secretary met with the United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai.

During the virtual meeting, Tai “stressed the importance of moving quickly to resolve issues in Mexico’s energy sector that the United States identified” in its request for consultations on the USMCA in June, the office said. from the Trade Representative in a press release.

The dispute stems from a series of Mexican policies that the United States and Canada say harm private companies and unfairly favor state-owned companies, such as changes to priority clearance rules and increasing barriers to obtaining permits, as well as controversial pipeline regulations. .

Concerns in Mexico’s energy sector surfaced last month after Buenrostro changed key members of the negotiating team. Foreign Trade Undersecretary Luz María de la Mora and Foreign Trade Rules Director General Orlando Pérez Gárate were removed from their posts in mid-October, along with some lower-ranking officials.

The United States and Canada could have requested the formation of a panel as early as October 3, but chose to prolong preliminary negotiations in an attempt to reach an agreement. The Mexican authorities have also indicated that they have made progress in direct negotiations with the private companies concerned.