“Major improvement", not "a mere tweaking of a few provisions and a couple of updated chapters" !
U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer claimed that "we need to assure that huge trade deficits do not continue and we have balance and reciprocity,”and the United States "cannot ignore the lost manufacturing jobs, the businesses that have closed or moved" because of incentives in the current agreement.
According to Lighthizer, the United States wants the three countries to modernize or create provisions for digital economy, such as digital trade, service trade and so on.
Lighthizer said the U.S. would also seek to tighten the rules of origin for automobiles and auto parts by requiring a higher NAFTA content and "substantial U.S. content" .
Robert Lighthizer, U.S. trade representative, attends the first round of North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) renegotiations in Washington D.C., the United States, on August 16, 2017. (Xinhua/Ting Shen)
