Auto industry launches campaign to keep NAFTA in place

Major automakers, suppliers and dealers launched a campaign Tuesday, asking the Trump administration not to quit the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Auto industry associations warned the U.S. President Donald Trump in a strong and collective statement Tuesday that withdrawal from NAFTA would put automotive jobs at risk.

The statement was a part of a campaign launched by a coalition named "Driving American Jobs", aiming at convincing the White House and voters that the free trade deal has been crucial in supporting U.S. automotive productions and jobs.

"In 2016, automakers manufactured 12.2 million vehicles in the U.S., more than one million more vehicles than were manufactured in the country in the year before NAFTA took effect," said the coalition website.

"The auto sector was the leading exporter in the nation, shipping 137 billion U.S. dollar in vehicles and parts to Mexico, Canada and the rest of the world. The sector invested 8 billion dollar in U.S. plants and equipment and nearly 20 billion dollar in R&D. In total, the U.S. auto industry currently supports more than 7 million American jobs," the coalition added.

The U.S., Canada and Mexico have held four rounds of negotiations in turn since August. The latest one ended last week with "significant conceptual gaps" between the three parties. President Trump threatened to terminate NAFTA earlier this month if the three countries could not reach a deal.

"American automakers are driving the revival of American manufacturing," said Governor Matt Blunt, president of the American Automotive Policy Council (AAPC).

"When you examine the data, there's no question that NAFTA has helped advance the global competitiveness of the U.S. auto industry sector," he added.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)