MCALLEN, Texas – A webinar on cross-border trade will be held online on Thursday, March 3, from 9 to 11 A.M., Central Time.
The event is being hosted by McAllen Economic Development Corporation, and Interlink Trade Services. The host will be Interlink’s president and co-founder, Jorge Torres. Interlink is a licensed customs broker and warehouse service provider with facilities in McAllen, Pharr and Brownsville.
The event is titled: “2022 Cross-Border Trade Webinar – What Matters Now.
Click here to register for the webinar.
“This webinar is an update on the series we have been doing for the past couple of years,” Torres (pictured above) explained, in a preview of the event.
“Obviously, there are things changing, evolving with USMCA, with the U.S. trade agenda, and with the Mexico trade agenda. We are going to get into all of that.”
The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement has been in place for almost two years. Torres said the agreement, the successor to NAFTA, has been going well.
“From an operational standpoint, USMCA is flowing well. But, we now have some challenges, regarding automotive rules of origin and also in the energy and labor sectors,” Torres said.
“Those challenges, I do not want to say it has put the Agreement in jeopardy, but it is making it complicated for its continuity. So, we are hoping that those issues will be resolved. I am going to talk about that, a little bit. We are still waiting to see what happens.”
Asked about potential conflict between the U.S. and Mexico on energy matters, Torres said: “Obviously we are moving towards EVs, electrical vehicles, solar energy, wind energy. The Mexican government’s position on energy is that it is still relying on oil and coal for electricity. And oil and gas. Obviously, that kind of clashes with what is going on in the world and where we are headed.”
Asked if the webinar was solely for those working in imports and exports, or whether the general public should tune in, Torres said:
“We understand that there are some very complex, regulatory areas to discuss. But, we try our best to put the presentation in layman’s terms, as general as possible so the overall public can understand it.
“Yes, obviously there will be some technical terms that people might not understand but in general, the webinar will be there for informational purposes.”
Torres said it is very important that local residents, in South Texas and Tamaulipas, understand what is happening with cross-border trade because it impacts the economy in a big way.
“It can affect our decisions in elections, on how we do business. What we will be discussing is information that people need to know because it has to do with trade, it has to do with some politics, environmental issues, labor issues. So, by all means, I recommend the general public to attend.”
Thursday’s webinar will also feature a special guest: Flor Torres, executive director of the Reynosa-based Competitive Industrial Center. Jorge Torres said he is excited to be bringing Flor Torres’ analysis to the discussion.
“CIC is a consultancy group based out of Reynosa. They focus on international trade matters but from a Mexican perspective. We are going to add something in regards to what is going on in Mexico, because there are a lot of changes going on in Mexico’s trade agenda as well – for international trade and especially for maquiladoras.”
Asked for any wrap-up comments ahead of the webinar, Jorge Torres said:
“We are going to update the community on USMCA, trade policy from the current administration, trade policy from Mexico, disruptions to the supply chain, which also affects our region, with groceries not being in stock, and not having enough automobiles out there. We highly recommend this webinar for everyone.”
Quality journalism takes time, effort and…. Money!
Producing quality journalism is not cheap. The coronavirus has resulted in falling revenues across the newsrooms of the United States. However, The Rio Grande Guardian International News Service is committed to producing quality news reporting on the issues that matter to border residents. The support of our members is vital in ensuring our mission gets fulfilled.
Can we count on your support? If so, click HERE. Thank you!
