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The American consumer market offers more choices of goods, often at competitive prices, than ever before. American consumers have access to a wide array of goods, such as clothing, electronics, furniture, and automobiles, both in retail stores and online. Where does this abundance of goods come from? The benefits of free trade agreements.

It is not just convenient to have avenues to conduct business with other countries, but it is almost a necessity in the complex world of international commerce. Free trade agreements (FTA’s) between nations serve this purpose. A free trade agreement like USMCA presents exporters with an opportunity to expand their businesses overseas, as it makes their products more affordable in growing markets.

What is the purpose of a free trade agreement? More importantly, which countries does the U.S. have free trade agreements with and why is it important for a small manufacturing business?

What is a Free Trade Agreement?

According to the International Trade Association:

“A Free trade Agreement (FTA) is an agreement between two or more countries where the countries agree on certain obligations that affect trade in goods and services, and protections for investors and intellectual property rights, among other topics. For the United States, the main goal of trade agreements is to reduce barriers to U.S. exports, protect U.S. interests competing abroad, and enhance the rule of law in the FTA partner country or countries.”

More simply: By definition, free trade agreements reduce barriers to imports and exports between two or more nations. As well as reducing and eliminating tariffs, free trade agreements also improve the rules governing intellectual property, e-commerce, and government contracting, as well as removing obstacles behind the border that impede the flow of goods.

Who Do Free Trade Agreements Benefit?

A free trade agreement benefits both countries and businesses, even for small businesses that take part in them. Creating jobs, opening new markets, and boosting investment for a nation are all benefits of free trade. Consumers benefit from these new markets because there are more options, better products, and lower prices. As a result, the governments are less likely to have to subsidize businesses or industries, and the funds can be better used elsewhere.

For businesses, it allows them to sell their goods directly to other countries without interference from their own government. Their ability to sell directly to other nations makes them a larger competitor in the global market than they would otherwise have been. For small businesses in the U.S., this is especially important.

According to the USMCA Coalition, USMCA was a major milestone for small businesses: it was the first trade agreement dedicated to the interests of small businesses.

“Canada and Mexico are the top two export destinations for U.S. small and medium-size enterprises, more than 120,000 of which sell their goods and services in our two North American neighbors. When an American small business starts exporting, it’s almost always to Canada or Mexico.”

What Nations Does the United States Have a Free Trade Agreement With?

There are currently free trade agreements between the United States and the following nations:

Australia

Bahrain

Canada

Chile

Colombia

Costa Rica

Dominican Republic

El Salvador

Guatemala

Honduras

Israel

Jordan

Korea

Mexico

Morocco

Nicaragua

Oman

Panama

Peru

Singapore

USMCA

It is important to note that China is missing from this list. Why? This question has a complex answer rooted in the political relationship between the two nations. According to the Library of Congress:

“The United States and China have several unresolved issues surrounding the bilateral trade between the two countries. The trade deficit between China and the U.S. has swelled immensely as the volume of imports from China grew much more rapidly than U.S. exports to China. This large trade deficit has been an issue of concern for economists and policymakers alike. Some claim it as an indicator of Chinese unfair trade practices, while others credit the imbalance to the strength of the Chinese economy and production systems heavily influenced by state interventions. The Trump administration initiated several tariff measures with a goal of reducing the trade imbalance.”

As reported by The New York Times, the Biden administration is not in a hurry to change tariffs with China or examine an FTA with the country.

“The Biden administration said it would not immediately remove the Trump administration’s tariffs and would require that Beijing uphold its trade commitments.”

Business Benefits From Trading With Free Trade Partners Such as Mexico and Canada

The USMCA gives preference to Canada and Mexico, so it is beneficial for businesses in the US to trade with these nations (and others with Free Trade Agreements). However, free trade with Canada and Mexico carries other benefits that trade with other nations do not:

As a result of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada agreement (USMCA), the United States, Canada and Mexico now have the largest free trade area in the world with 454 million people.
About 13 million Americans are employed as a result of trade with Canada and Mexico.
An increase in cross-border trade and investment: From 1993 to 2019, trade between the three members quadrupled from $290 billion to $1.23 trillion.
More resilient supply chains: A study by the Brookings Institute found that: “Integrated North American supply chains could provide a viable alternative to Chinese manufacturing and allow some critical industries to move production closer to home.”

The benefits of doing business with a nation that has a free trade agreement with the U.S. are numerous. The US and its trading partners can trade and invest more efficiently and integrate their economies thanks to free trade agreements. We use free trade agreements to strengthen our supply chains and to remain competitive, innovative, and economically leading in North America.

As an American business looking to sell goods overseas, it would be better to start with countries with U.S. free trade agreements rather than trying to break into a country such as China.

For nearshore manufacturing to succeed, free trade between North American countries is essential. Manufacturing in Mexico with a nearshore partner like NovaLink is an excellent idea if you wish to have access to free trade agreements in North America. Contact us today.

This year, the US-Mexico Foundation (USMF), a binational non-profit committed to improving business cooperation between the United States and Mexico, initiated a new economic & trade program with the aim to have the United States work with its allies to optimize and reconfigure its supply chains so that all neighboring nations benefit from their commerce and trade. The name of this program: Ally-shoring.

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Taken as a pun of the term “nearshoring” the concept of Ally-shoring is simple: The United States and its closest neighbors, Mexico & Canada, are rethinking critical supply chains and sourcing essential materials, goods, and services to benefit their most-trusted democratic partners.

The US-Mexico Foundation believes Ally-shoring between the United States and Mexico will strengthen and deepen joint manufacturing, R&D, governance ties, trade and security which will make both nations more competitive. According to Elaine Dezenski, writing for The Hill:

“On the home front, ally-shoring would bring good jobs, new economic opportunities and optimism to many of our own citizens, who even before the pandemic were feeling ignored and left behind by globalization and demographic and social change.”

Building An Economic Relationship With Our North American Neighbors

The US-Mexico Foundation calls attention to the following areas of cooperation that Ally Shoring can benefit the US & Mexico:

COVID-19 pandemic containment and treatment
Critical supply chain rework, with a focus on transformational export and emerging sectors
Smart border infrastructure, trade facilitation, and data-driven supply chain management and security systems

The foundation reports the US and Mexico have common interests in strengthening relationships on the southern US border and not just with economic development:

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“A robust ally-shoring program with Mexico can deliver a number of benefits consistent with mutual economic, national security, and foreign policy goals: … Enhance institutions, reduce corruption, and strengthen rule of law in Mexico to promote greater FDI and US-Mexico economic integration.”

Mexico Today also echoes this sentiment:

“Partnering more, not less in production and distribution of critical goods and services between the U.S. and Mexico makes sense on many levels. It creates more good-paying jobs on both sides of the border as we recover from Covid-19, and provides a reliable, predictable and transparent trading partner for the U.S.”

Strengthen USMCA Supply Chains & Decouple from China

The COVID-19 pandemic revealed weaknesses in critical U.S. supply chains – mostly by over-reliance on China. Consequently, one of the primary goals of Ally-shoring is to strengthen the supply chains between the US & Mexico; the US is prepared to offer incentives to companies that are willing to run their supply chains through Mexico and discover opportunities for co-production & sourcing in that country. This strengthening of supply chains will have several advantages outside of better inter-country commerce, according to Barrons:

“This strategy achieves multiple U.S. foreign policy objectives including accelerating pandemic recovery, re-forging alliances, as well as checking China’s malevolent intentions. Ally-shoring, by providing an option for countries who would rather work with a U.S. and allies-led trade and economic development regime, also affords an attractive alternative to China’s corrupting offers of “assistance”. By doing so, ally-shoring serves to undergird the long-term economic success and stability of democracies across the globe.”

In an interview with Forbes Mexico, Enrique Perret, director of the US-Mexico Foundation, explains the decision to reduce the need Asian suppliers is linked to two large problems of sourcing through supply chains in Asia: unreliable products and theft of intellectual property. These problems have accelerated the integration between the US and its neighbors.

“The search process for the supply chains to be more integrated with Latin America has accelerated. A few years ago there was talk of off-shoring, which was the search for the installation of some production processes in locations that were competitive, from near-shoring, which meant doing the same thing but in nearby countries, then re-shoring came, which was going back to the process. In the case of ally-shoring, it is about relocating these processes in countries that coincide in fundamental aspects, that is why the opportunity is so great for Mexico. ”

Conclusion

The Ally-shoring strategy is less about making the supply chains more efficient here in North America, and more about taking control of the flow of goods, as well as sourcing into our country. The partnership between the USMCA countries would be very beneficial not only from a manufacturing standpoint but also from a political and security standpoint. As Elaine Dezenski writes in an Opt-Ed in The Hill:

“An ally-shoring strategy recognizes the interdependent nature of the global economy and trade and the reality of globalized information and supply chains. This is not to suggest that we will not have any economic engagement with China (we will, and we should in many arenas). But it leans into our relationships with those we trust. By centering our economic and trade relations with our friends, we can drive a more powerful collective recovery and facilitate larger scale economic activity across the American Heartland.”

Read the Case Study: The Case and Path of Development for Ally-shoring: Mexico