Mexico’s lead negotiator for new trade pact to speak at Rice’s Baker Institute April 25

MEDIA ADVISORY

David Ruth
david@rice.edu
713-348-6327

Jeff Falk
jfalk@rice.edu
713-348-6775

Mexico’s lead negotiator for new trade pact to speak at Rice’s Baker Institute April 25

HOUSTON – (April 16, 2019) – Jesús Seade, undersecretary for North America in Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and one of the lead negotiators of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), will speak April 25 at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy on the current state of the ratification process and the likelihood of the USMCA’s passage.

The cost of attendance is $20 for the public, and registration is at www.bakerinstitute.org/events/2007. The event is hosted by the Baker Institute’s Mexico Center.

Who: Jesús Seade, undersecretary for North America in Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

David Gantz, the Will Clayton Fellow in Trade and International Economics at the Baker Institute, will introduce Seade and moderate the public Q&A following the presentation.

What: An event titled “The USMCA: A View from Mexico.”

When: Thursday, April 25, 6:30-8 p.m. A reception will be held at 6.

Where: Rice University, James A. Baker III Hall, Doré Commons, 6100 Main St.

If the USMCA is approved, it will replace the 25-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and govern trade relations in North America. Most observers agree that as a whole, the USMCA is a better agreement and likely to deepen and broaden economic integration among all three member countries, according to event organizers. Much work remains pending, however, including the final push for ratification.

Seade is an international negotiator, global academic and economic diplomat who has held top positions in the Mexican government, World Trade Organization (WTO), International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank and leading universities in the U.K., France, Hong Kong, China and Mexico. After three years in senior positions at the World Bank, Seade was appointed Mexico’s ambassador and chief negotiator in the creation of the WTO, and later elected as the WTO’s founding deputy director-general. Following this role, Seade served as a senior advisor at the IMF, where he was the top officer in charge of policy on major financial crises in Brazil, Turkey and Argentina.

On July 1, 2018, Seade was appointed by then-Mexican President-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador as his chief negotiator for NAFTA/USMCA. Seade currently oversees all matters related to the USMCA ratification process.

An archived webcast will be available at a later date at www.bakerinstitute.org/videos.

Members of the news media who want to attend should RSVP to Jeff Falk, associate 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 www.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 among the top three university-affiliated think tanks 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://blogs.chron.com/bakerblog.