The Mexican Petrochemical Sector in the NAFTA Negotiations *

Abstract

Since 1985, there have been important changes in the Mexican petrochemical sector, including trade liberalization, deregulation and the elimination of subsidies. NAFTA represents another step towards liberalization of the sector. Given the low tariffs currently applied to international trade among the three nations, we do not anticipate major impacts of NAFTA on trade flows. Nevertheless, the elimination of restrictions to foreign investment is expected to increase capital flows into the sector and to promote productivity increases. On the other hand, the new barriers to trade in petrochemical feedstocks and the restrictions on private investment in infrastructure may negatively affect the sector’s growth, making it necessary to adjust domestic regulations to improve the performance of Pemex.

Keywords

Petrochemical industry Mexico NAFTA Pemex Policy Regulation

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