The administration of President Donald Trump has announced framework agreements on reciprocal trade with El Salvador, Ecuador, Guatemala and Argentina, aiming to cut tariffs, dismantle non-tariff barriers and tighten economic and security coordination across the Americas, according to the White House.
For El Salvador and Guatemala, which already trade with the United States under CAFTA-DR, the frameworks focus on streamlining approvals for U.S. pharmaceuticals, medical devices and autos, removing restrictions on remanufactured goods, and speeding pr oduct registrations. Both countries vow to keep markets open for U.S. farm goods, strengthen intellectual property protections, uphold labor rights, and adopt high environmental standards, including measures against illegal logging, wildlife trafficking and illegal mining. In return, the United States will scrap reciprocal tariffs on certain qualifying exports, including some textiles and apparel.
The Ecuador framework focuses on tariff cuts for U.S. machinery, health products, ICT goods, chemicals, motor vehicles and farm products, while creating tariff-rate quotas for other agricultural items. Quito will revamp import licensing and facility registration for food and agriculture, eliminate pre-shipment inspection requirements and expand trade-facilitation programs. It also promises more robust IP rules, a prohibition on imports created using forced labor, additional environmental safeguards and the elimination of discriminatory barriers to services and digital trade.
With Argentina, Washington is promoting a larger trade and investment package. Buenos Aires will widen market access to U.S. medicines, machinery, autos and agricultural products, tear down remaining non-tariff barriers, harmonize standards with U.S. and international norms, and widen its market further to U.S. beef and poultry. The United States will remove reciprocal tariffs on select natural resources and pharmaceutical inputs and align more closely with Argentina on critical minerals, export controls, investment security and digital trade.
All four frameworks will now be finalized and prepared for signature before entering into force.
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