国际英语新闻:USTR says USMCA does not include American "labor inspectors"

WASHINGTON, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- United States Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer clarified on Monday that the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) does not include American "labor inspectors," downplaying Mexican concerns about a labor enforcement provision in the trade deal.

"The Administration included language in the USMCA implementing legislation authorizing up to five attaches from the Department of Labor to work with their Mexican counterparts, workers, and civil society groups on implementation of the Mexican labor reform," Lighthizer wrote in a letter to Jesus Seade, undersecretary for North America of the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"These personnel will not be 'labor inspectors' and will abide by all relevant Mexican laws," Lighthizer said, adding that on-site labor verifications would be conducted by independent panelists.

"The USMCA's first-of-its-kind, facility-specific, rapid-response mechanism allows an independent, three-person panel chosen by both Parties to request on-site verifications in any of our three countries when there are good faith questions about whether workers at a particular facility are being denied key labor rights. But those verifications will be conducted by the independent panelists not by the labor attaches," he said.

Lighthizer's letter came after Seade over the weekend accused the United States of blindsiding Mexico by deciding to send up to five U.S. attaches to monitor labor conditions as part of the revised USMCA sent to Congress.

Mexico had rejected a U.S. proposal for foreign labor inspectors during the talks to update the 25-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), saying it would violate the country's sovereignty.

The Mexican government is satisfied with response from Lighthizer that labor attaches will not be inspectors, Seade said Monday after meeting with the top U.S. trade official in Washington, according to U.S media.

While the leaders of the United States, Canada and Mexico signed the proposed USMCA more than a year ago, House Democrats have negotiated for months with Trump administration officials to resolve their concerns about enforcement tools for labor and environmental standards as well as drug provisions in the new trilateral trade deal.

The Democratic-led House is expected to ratify USMCA later this week after House Democrats reached an agreement with the Trump administration over changes to the agreement last week. The Republican-controlled Senate is expected to consider the USMCA early next year.