Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 11/20/17


The fifth round of talks to renegotiate NAFTA kicked off in Mexico City on Friday with little fanfare - and with little hope for much news to be made over the coming days.

"Things are moving very slow - there's not a tremendous amount of progress," one Canadian source told Morning Trade's Megan Cassella. "But there aren't any fireworks, either." 

There remains hope that negotiators will ultimately be able to make progress in some areas before they leave Mexico City, in part so they can return home to their respective capitals and trade ministers with evidence that they are still moving forward and maintaining momentum. Among the chapters that negotiators might be able to close by Tuesday, when the round ends, are food-safety measures, Moisés Kalach, a Mexico City-based businessman who leads private-sector engagement with Mexico's government on trade issues, told reporters gathered at the Camino Real Hotel on Friday.

Another source close to the talks said that if there are any areas of agreement announced on Tuesday, they will most likely be the anti-corruption chapter and a handful of annexes on technical areas like chemicals, pharmaceuticals and food labeling.

Separately, the Trump administration produced an updated list of its negotiating objectives for NAFTA 2.0, but the revamped goals showed few signs of a desire to tone down the U.S.' contentious proposals. The 17-page document provides transparency but also cements President Donald Trump's interest in pushing forward on troublesome topics like domestic content and seasonal produce, report Pro Trade's Megan Cassella and Adam Behsudi.