Ambassador Wayne Delivers Good Economic News to Border Trade Alliance Conference

Mexico City, August 2, 2012 – U.S. Ambassador Anthony Wayne addressed participants of a conference hosted by the Border Trade Alliance, a non-profit organization that provides a forum to address key issues affecting trade, travel, and security in North America and advocates on behalf of policies and initiatives designed to improve border affairs and trade relations between the U.S. and Mexico. 

“The total bilateral trade between the United States and Mexico has already returned to pre-recession levels,” Ambassador Wayne said.  “The trade relationship between the United States’ and Mexico is not just “coming back” – it’s coming back strong… Our continued cooperation is not only necessary, it is essential to our continued growth.” 

Ambassador Wayne noted that in 2011, the United States and Mexico combined for nearly 461 billion dollars in merchandise trade, with more than 1.2 billion dollars in trade crisscrossing the shared border every day.  The relationship added another 39 billion dollars in services trade and a combined 100 billion dollars in foreign direct investment holdings.  And Mexico continues to export more of its goods and services to the United States than to any other country: the United States remains the number one destination for Mexican goods and services.

Ambassador Wayne also noted improvements to border crossings for legitimate travelers and goods through the 21^st Century Border framework, including increased infrastructure at land borders and the implementation of trusted traveler and shipper programs.  One such program open to Mexico is the Global Entry Program- a voluntary program that allows for the expedited clearance of pre-approved, low-risk travelers arriving in the U.S. at Global Entry kiosks located at designated airports.  Currently, Global Entry operates in 24 international airports in the U.S., with six international airports expected to be added soon.  More than 11,000 Mexican nationals have been approved for Global Entry.

Ambassador Wayne also noted that the United States and Mexico recognize the shared responsibility to deal with criminal organizations, including through justice sector reform, strengthening human rights protection mechanisms, and addressing social problems emerging from the violence across parts of Mexico.   He closed by stressing the importance of shared commitments to democracy, rule of law, and open markets by both countries and the important role of civil society groups like the Border Trade Alliance in sustaining and improving U.S.-Mexico cooperation.