The mayors of U.S.-Mexico border cities San Diego and Tijuana met in Mexico City on March 27. Tijuana Mayor Juan Manuel Gastélum and San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer talked about strengthening cooperation in trade and border issues.
The discussions were part of the 12th Annual Binational Delegation, which unites business and government officials from the two cities.
The meeting comes as U.S. President Donald Trump moves forward with the construction of the border wall. The president has also signed an executive order to renegotiate the NAFTA agreement with Mexico and Canada.
Of all the goods exchanged between the United States and Mexico, 20 percent of those transported are destined for San Diego alone, according to official reports.
Supply chains between factories in San Diego and Mexico have also developed strong complementary links to electronics and automobile production plants on the other side of the border.
Officials in Tijuana and San Diego are seeking to preserve key aspects of the NAFTA agreement in upcoming negotiations.
While Mexico is reluctant to alter the 1994 trade accord, officials concede that some changes may be necessary to help keep trade open with the United States, which absorbs 80 percent of its exports.
But Mexico said it could pull out of NAFTA if a renegotiation of the pact does not benefit it.