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NAFTA greatly boosted Mexico's exports to the U.S. and made the country more attractive for foreign investment. It also helped it to weather the 1994-1995 peso crisis by ensuring access to U.S. and Canadian markets. There has been a growth in the other states of Mexico of large multinational companies whose maquiladora assembly operations have gained an increasingly larger proportion of Mexico's export production. Meanwhile the proportion of production by smaller manufacturing firms and other producers has steadily shrunk. Mexico continues to be an importer of technology and innovative processes, and likewise remains heavily dependent on the performance of the U.S. economy. Manufacturing remains concentrated in the Federal District, Jalisco and Nuevo Leon. Mexico's inadequate road system, particularly in the central and southern states, is a serious impediment to attracting foreign investment in those regions, as well for exploiting the full potential of NAFTA.
NAFTA greatly boosted Mexico's exports to the U.S. and made the country more attractive for foreign investment. It also helped it to weather the 1994-1995 peso crisis by ensuring access to U.S. and Canadian markets. There has been a growth in the other states of Mexico of large multinational companies whose maquiladora assembly operations have gained an increasingly larger proportion of Mexico's export production. Meanwhile the proportion of production by smaller manufacturing firms and other producers has steadily shrunk. Mexico continues to be an importer of technology and innovative processes, and likewise remains heavily dependent on the performance of the U.S. economy. Manufacturing remains concentrated in the Federal District, Jalisco and Nuevo Leon. Mexico's inadequate road system, particularly in the central and southern states, is a serious impediment to attracting foreign investment in those regions, as well for exploiting the full potential of NAFTA.
==Volume of trade==
==Volume of trade==
NAFTA created the world's largest free trade area, which now links 444 million people producing $17 trillion worth of goods and services.
Trade between the United States and its NAFTA partners has soared since the agreement entered into force.U.S. goods and services trade with NAFTA totaled $1.0 trillion in 2007 (latest data available). Exports totaled $452 billion; Imports totaled $568 billion. The U.S. goods and services trade deficit with NAFTA was $116 billion in 2007.
===US Exports to Canada and Mexico===
Canada and Mexico were the top two purchasers of U.S. exports in 2008. (Canada $261.2 billion and Mexico $151.2 billion). The main purchases were:
: Machinery ($63.5 billion), Auto parts ($59.5 billion), Electrical Machinery ($49.2 billion), Oil ($27.9 billion), Plastics ($22.3 billion), and agricultural products ($32.3 billion).
The NAFTA countries were the largest and third largest suppliers of goods imports to the United States in 2008. (Canada $339.5 billon, and Mexico $215.9 billion). China was second.
They bought American crude oil ($157.8 billion), Vehicles ($79.7 billion), Electrical Machinery ($63.5 billion), Machinery ($46.5 billion), and agricultural products ($28.9 billion), especially fresh vegetables ($3.9 billion), snack foods, ($3.4 billion), live animals ($2.3 billion), processed fruit and vegetables ($2.0 billion), and wine and beer ($1.9 billion).
==Further reading==
==Further reading==