Mexico-US Integration Still Strong Despite Covid-19

 Q: How have AmCham companies dealt with the COVID-19 emergency?

A: Companies affiliated to AmCham had the opportunity to experience the advance of the pandemic in other countries, which is why in Mexico we were one step ahead, implementing measures to prevent accelerated contagions at an early stage, placing first the health of our collaborators and their families, and aiming at the continuity of our operations.

Our economy is profoundly integrated with the US economy. It is our main commercial partner and the recipient of 80 percent of our exports. In light of the emergency and given the lack of homogenization in the definition of essential activities in both countries (while the US criteria included foreign trade, Mexico’s original definition focuses on health), it has been a challenge to maintain binational supply chains.

The pandemic has already showed us that Mexico and the US need cooperation mechanisms that go beyond a free trade agreement and that allow us to react with assertiveness in emergency situations. AmCham maintains a permanent dialogue with the authorities from both countries to contribute generating joint solutions. 

Q: What elements should a successful reactivation plan include to be considered successful?

A: It is indispensable to maintain permanent coordination between the government and the private sector during the gradual economic reactivation, which needs a binational vision that allows us to continue working towards the same goal and to protect supply chains in both countries that generate employment for millions of families. Without this binational vision, Mexico’s supply chains and its essential role in North America could be at risk.