HOUSTON – (Feb. 5, 2020) – International trade experts will gather at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy Feb. 12 to explain the complexities of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and forecast its impact on both local and global trade.
The event, hosted by the Baker Institute's Center for the United States and Mexico, is open to the public. Registration is $20.
Who: Panelists David Gantz, the Will Clayton Fellow in Trade and International Economics at the Center for the United States and Mexico, and Robert Givens, an international trade lawyer at Givens & Johnston Customs and International Trade Law.
What: A discussion titled "The USMCA and the Future of Trade in North America."
When: Wednesday, Feb. 12, 6:30-8 p.m. A reception will be held at 6.
Where: Rice University, James A. Baker III Hall, Kelly International Conference Facility, 6100 Main St.
In August 2017, President Donald Trump announced that the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) would be renegotiated. This arduous process has resulted in the USMCA, which has now been ratified in Washington and Mexico City and will be approved soon in Ottawa.
In many ways, event organizers say, the USMCA is an improvement over the 25-year-old NAFTA because it includes additional economic sectors, such as energy and e-commerce, as well as new environmental and labor protections. But the USMCA is more restrictive on other issues such as steel, aluminum and national content in manufacturing, and it also restricts trade between North America and other countries like China, organizers said.
The public must RSVP for the event at www.bakerinstitute.org/events/2048. The social media hashtag for the event is #BakerMexico.
Members of the news media who want to attend should RSVP to Jeff Falk, director of national media relations at Rice, at jfalk@rice.edu or 713-348-6775.
For a map of Rice University’s campus with parking information, go to rice.edu/maps. Media should park in the Central Campus Garage (underground).
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Founded in 1993, Rice University’s Baker Institute ranks as the No. 2 university-affiliated think tank in the world. As a premier nonpartisan think tank, the institute conducts research on domestic and foreign policy issues with the goal of bridging the gap between the theory and practice of public policy. The institute’s strong track record of achievement reflects the work of its endowed fellows, Rice University faculty scholars and staff, coupled with its outreach to the Rice student body through fellow-taught classes — including a public policy course — and student leadership and internship programs. Learn more about the institute at www.bakerinstitute.org or on the institute’s blog, http://blog.bakerinstitute.org.