The business sector that accompanies the official delegation of the Government in Washington, at the beginning of conversations with the United States to eliminate the 10%tariff, has high expectations that preferential access to Guatemala export products, based on the FTA, to eliminate.
The Guatemala government delegation met on Tuesday, May 27 with the Office of the United States Commercial Representative (USTR) and confirmed the formal application to initiate dialogue on the 10% tariff and non -tariff barriers.
The Ministry of Economy (Mineco) informed Free press which presented the work plan, which includes concrete results obtained to date in response to the issues addressed in the USTR report on non -tariff commercial barriers, and said it was received positively.
During the exchange of Tuesday, it was consulted if Guatemala is interested in initiating a process of dialogue with the United States on the points indicated in that report, and the country expressed its firm willingness to begin these discussions immediately, added the Mineco.
The United States indicated that, at the time, it will send a proposal of Framework Agreement, which will serve as a basis for initiating formal conversations.
Regarding the deadlines to develop this process, the Ministry explained that no specific dates were established, since each process varies according to the particularities of each country. However, as the conversations progress, the United States will propose a schedule of activities for the coordination and development of joint works.
On the steps to follow, the Mineco, through its Communication Office, indicated that the USTR authorities expressed their satisfaction in verifying that the country has a road map in execution, with concrete advances and results, which continues in development to address the eight identified barriers.
The Economics portfolio added that the government of President Bernardo Arévalo, since its inception, has worked to improve competitiveness and that, in that line, the first steps were oriented to simplification and digitalization processes. That Ministry “has a team of professionals, experts and technicians who make up the Task Force that has been dedicated to the approach and implementation of the established road map, ”he added.
High expectations of the business sector
Both countries have zero tariff in most products, based on the Free Trade Agreement between the United States, Central America and the Dominican Republic (CAFTA-DR). However, since April 5, 2025, the president of the United States, Donald Trump, applies a 10% global tariff to imports, including those from Guatemala.
Carla Caballeros, executive director of the Agro Chamber (Camagro), said that the Guatemala government confirmed that, during the meeting with USTR, they presented the report and the action plan to address the commercial barriers of the report of that entity, and that the provision of the country was confirmed to initiate the dialogue process in order to restore the preferential trade.
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On the deadlines for the following dialogue meetings and obtaining a response to the tariff, Knights explained that the United States, through the USTR, manages this process with several dozens of countries and has a relatively small negotiating team, so the dialogue advances according to the commercial interests of that nation.
Consequently, they hope that in the coming weeks the dialogue will advance and the concrete actions of the country will be reviewed to resolve the issues raised by the companies, such as the elimination of duplication of processes and costs, discretion, and lack of controls against piracy and smuggling. These issues are known in the United States as “Red-Tape” or processing, the executive added.
Regarding the results of the first meeting and the following steps, Caballeros indicated that, from their perspective, the process transcends the commercial, so it considers that Guatemala must insist before the UST, the State Department and other US government agencies on the strategic importance of the country not only as a reliable partner for trade, but also in security, democracy and migration.
Answers will not be immediate
Waleska Sterkel de Ortiz, executive director of the Guatemalan American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM), commented that US companies in Guatemala value maintaining a solid commercial relationship based on clear rules and predictability.
He indicated that the dialogue began with the delivery of the document by the Government of Guatemala. At any time, the USTR can ask questions and comments about its content, which addresses non -tariff barriers. According to Guatemalan authorities, many are already being addressed or show advances.
However, he recalled that about 200 countries are in the process of dialogue with the United States, so the progress will not be immediate. Consider that 60 days are missing to meet the 90 -day period announced by President Trump, in which they hope to have answers.
🇬🇹🤝🇺🇸 Day 1 | Guatemala Public-Private Delegation in Washington DC
Today we begin a high -level work tour to position Guatemala as a reliable and strategic partner of the United States, not only in trade, but also in security, migration and … pic.twitter.com/9eugutxsyb
– Minex Guatemala 🇬🇹 (@minexgt) May 27, 2025
Sterkel de Ortiz said that a few weeks should be expected to know the response of the USTR, since what was done in this first stage was to deliver the advances. He added that the USTR acknowledged that Guatemala does not represent a deficit in his commercial balance and shares values such as support for Taiwan, which was reiterated in several meetings.
The Guatemalan private sector that is part of the delegation also has a meeting with the USTR on Thursday to reinforce the messages.
Sterkel considered that the Government went well at the first meeting, while the private sector has held meetings with various US authorities and sectors to communicate the impact of the restoration of preferential access, which would benefit both Guatemala and the United States companies.
He indicated that Guatemala is one of the main destinations in Central America for American products such as cotton, agrochemicals, raw materials and manufactures. When Guatemala grows, so many American companies do so, so they seek to strengthen those alliances.
The executive reiterated that the government presented advances in non -tariff barriers and coincided with other representatives in which the country has a good position with the United States, due, among other factors, that its commercial balance is deficit, it is a democracy and fight against drug trafficking and organized crime, in addition to having signed the agreement to modernize Puerto Quetzal.
Juan Carlos Zapata, Executive Director of the Foundation for the Development of Guatemala (Fundesa), positively valued the meeting and assured that the country is in a privileged position to advance in the process that seeks to improve competitiveness and prosperity. “It is a public-private delegation that shows that Guatemala does not stop,” he said.
Work tour headed by a delegation from the Government of Guatemala, accompanied by representatives of the business sector, with the aim of strengthening the economic relationship with the United States and promoting bilateral trade.#Guatemalanose has pic.twitter.com/r9tjjcm6tx
– Fundesa (@Fundesa) May 28, 2025
The 10% tariff on the imports of Guatemalan products to the United States would represent about US $ 460 million annually, based on exports of the year 2024.
However, the export sector has warned that American buyers have asked Guatemalan producers to absorb the cost of the new tariff.
Cacif: Priorities of both countries agree
The president of Cacif, Charles Bland, explained that President Donald Trump, in statements to the media in his country has made it clear that the United States will not focus on producing garments or shoes.
The director of Cacif explained that considering that clothing and textiles represent 30% of Guatemala exports and the other 50% are agricultural products such as coffee, banana among others, it is clear that Guatemala is not a threat to the United States so together, both countries can bet to recover preferential access for products “since our exports are complementary and with value chains that include Americans. “
The Cacif Executive, who also chairs Camagro, added that Guatemala is aligned with the interests of the United States in many aspects that go beyond commercial, so they trust that the government authorities, such as the Chancellor and Minister of Economy, have made this very clear in the meeting with USTR.
It is also important to mention that “we trust that the United States government must recognize this strategic value of Guatemala beyond trade, considering very specific actions such as the historical seizures of Fentanyl, the collaboration for a significant number of extraditions of members of organized crime groups, the collaboration to receive the Guatemalans deported. That is, Guatemala is the key ally for the security of the United States and Hemisphere, ”added Bland, in statements sent in writing.
Caballeros, said that Guatemala is a buyer of American products, with a favorable commercial surplus for that country of about US $ 6 billion.
He also considered that it is important to communicate more the alignment of Guatemala with the interests of the Trump administration as a state policy. He highlighted acts of geopolitical value such as the rejection of the government of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela, the lack of diplomatic relations with China, the support of Taiwan and the alliance with the United States Army Engineers body for projects such as the extension of Puerto Quetzal, which seeks to modernize infrastructure and strengthen regional security against organized crime.
During this week, the delegation has scheduled meetings with several US government agencies. On Tuesday they met with the Department of Agriculture and also foresee meetings with the Departments of Commerce and State, although they do not have a meeting with the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio.
Profile
According to the profile of the United States Commercial Representative Jamieson Greer, on the Ustr electronic page, the official was confirmed by the Senate on February 27, 2025.
- It is added that as a key member of the Cabinet of President Trump, he supports the priority of the United States in commerce, fighting unfair commercial practices, expanding market access for products “made in the United States” and guaranteeing balance and reciprocity in commercial relations of the United States.
- Greer has returned to the USTR after having worked as chief of cabinet of ambassador Robert Lighthizer during the first mandate of President Trump, in whose position he actively participated in the implementation of tariffs to China by the administration and in the subsequent negotiation of the phase one agreement between the United States and China. In addition, in Ustr work to negotiate and obtain the approval of the Congress of the Treaty between the United States, Mexico and Canada (T-MEC).
- In the private sector he was a partner of a Washington law firm focusing on international trade and national security matters, it also served in the General Air Force Corps of his country, including a deployment in Iraq.
- He graduated as a law judge at the Faculty of Law of the University of Virginia, has joint mastery in Global Commercial Law of the Institute of Political Studies of Paris (Sciences Po) and the University of Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne. He graduated with a degree in International Studies at Brigham Young University.