The U.S.-Mexico High-Level Economic Dialogue (HLED) was established in 2013, but was suspended during the administration of President Donald Trump.

Then, on June 8, 2021, the governments of both nations announced that they had agreed to hold a HLED in September, fulfilling their March 2021 commitment to revive this forum with the goal of expanding bilateral economic cooperation and collaboration.

According to the White House, the «HLED advances strategic economic and trade priorities for both countries, with the shared goal of fostering economic development and growth, job creation, global competitiveness, and the reduction of poverty and inequality.»

The proposed agenda included trade facilitation, telecommunications and interconnectivity, and supply chain resilience.

Now, the relaunched HLED has four pillars:

• Rebuilding Together.
• Promote sustainable economic and social development in southern Mexico and Central America.
• Securing the tools for future prosperity.
• Investing in the people of both countries.

High Level Economic Dialogue

The agenda proposed by the HLED indicates that the United States and Mexico will recover from the impact of the global pandemic, promote inclusive trade and investment, prepare the workforce for the future, and strengthen regional supply chains.

In addition, according to the USITC, the United States and Mexico agreed to engage with civil society, the private sector, academia and other non-governmental organizations to solicit contributions to the HLED.

The statement notes that the HLED will foster an open dialogue that values inclusiveness and diversity of viewpoints to ensure transparency in decision-making.

Following the conclusion of the HLED on September 9, 2021, Ambassador Catherine Tai noted that it «underscores the importance and breadth of the economic relationship between the two countries; this work is as an important complement to bilateral cooperation in other areas.»