North America Leaders Summit: Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador Challenges Joe Biden to Give More Help for Latin America

President Joe Biden and Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are in Mexico City for the North America Leaders Summit hosted by Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. After formalities and a show of friendship, AMLO issued a challenge to the U.S. president.

According to the Associated Press, delegations from Mexico and the United States had a tense meeting in an ornate room at the Palacio Nacional. AMLO reportedly challenged Biden to end an attitude of "abandonment" and "disdain" for Latin America and the Caribbean during that meeting, which took place on Monday.

The Mexican president also challenged Biden to improve life across the Latin American region as he holds the "key" in his hands. This comes as more and more migrants flee their countries across Latin America and the Caribbean due to political persecution, economic crisis, or just life being hard. Many of these immigrants flee to the United States but often go to Mexico first and try their luck at the U.S.-Mexico border.

AMLO reportedly also complained that too many of the United States's imports came from Asia, as not many were produced in the Americas.

"We ask ourselves, couldn't we produce in America what we consume?" he reportedly told Biden.

On the other hand, the U.S. president stated that they have already sent billions of dollars in foreign aid, saying, "unfortunately, our responsibility just doesn't end in the Western Hemisphere."

Joe Biden, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Justin Trudeau to Talk About Economy, Immigration, and Drug Cartels

These high-level talks between the leaders of the three biggest North American countries will be mostly about trade, but one of the main things on the agenda is the drug cartels.

Two Mexican officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity have told Reuters that the main plan is for Mexico to reduce the amount of fentanyl going across the U.S.-Mexico border while the United States will try to reduce the number of guns being smuggled into Mexico. American firearms are usually used by the drug cartels to conduct heinous acts around Mexico.

The three leaders are also discussing handling the influx of immigrants from Central and South America. They aim to crack down on smugglers, known as coyotes, who profit from persuading migrants to trek across the border in order to improve their lives or escape persecution.

North American Leaders Summit to Also Talk About Lessening Reliance on China

The supply chain issues brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic have exposed that North America will suffer should it continue its reliance on Chinese-made goods.

Now, the three North American leaders are talking about how to tackle this issue, with NPR pointing out that "nearshoring" may be talked about by AMLO, Biden, and Trudeau. This means that the three countries will try to produce goods on their own and lessen their dependence on China. This will lead to a bigger trade relationship between the three North American countries now that goods are produced nearer, thus mitigating supply chain issues.

READ MORE: El Mencho's Notorious Jalisco Cartel Hands Out Christmas Gifts to Children During a Parade in Mexico City of Guadalajara

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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