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WASHINGTON, March 31 (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau on Thursday said he was not worried that the next
U.S. president might seek to reopen the three-nation North
American Free Trade Agreement.
"I don't think that's a real issue. I think it's a concern
but I'm not worried that we're going to suddenly reopen NAFTA or
other trade deals," he told CNBC television in an interview when
pressed about negative comments about NAFTA in the run-up to the
U.S. election.
NAFTA, which came into force in 1994, binds the United
States, Canada and Mexico. Trudeau says the agreement has
benefited Canada by boosting trade and creating jobs.
Donald Trump, who leads the Republican nomination race, says
free trade has hurt Americans by encouraging companies to move
their operations out of the country. He has also threatened to
slap steep tariffs on Chinese and Mexican imports.
"The challenge is once you've reopened it (a trade deal) a
little bit they all tend to unravel," said Trudeau, who is
visiting Washington.
Earlier in the day he told an event hosted by the U.S.
Chamber of Commerce that NAFTA had worked "extremely well" for
the U.S. and Canadian economies.
"We all know how important it is to be looking forward and
not turn back the clock to a golden olden days that were never
as golden" as they were made out to be, he added.