US Senator McCain Urges Trump to Promote Free Trade as NAFTA Talks Begin

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — US Senator John McCain urged the administration of President Donald Trump to further promote the free flow of trade as the United States on Wednesday starts renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), according to a statement released by the lawmaker on Tuesday.

"Along with the countless individuals in my home state and around the country who have benefited from NAFTA, I urge the administration to pursue an outcome that does not pick winners or losers, but further promotes the free flow of trade with Mexico and Canada that has and will continue to boost our economy," the senator, who represents the US state of Arizona, said.

McCain noted that during the past two decades under NAFTA, trade with Mexico and Canada has increased, creating American jobs, improving US wages and lowering costs for goods and services.

Mexico is Arizona's top trading partner and contributed to $15 billion in bilateral trade in 2016 that supported 90,000 jobs in the state, McCain said.

"Arizona is not alone. The US Chamber of Commerce estimates 14 million jobs in the United States are tied to trade with Mexico and Canada," he said. "As renegotiations get underway, it’s important for the administration to recognize NAFTA’s many contributions and not impose new barriers that could harm our ability to trade with our closest neighbors."

Seven rounds of formal negotiations are set to begin on Wednesday in response to Trump's assertion that global trade deals, including NAFTA, were poorly negotiated to the detriment of US companies.