A look at noteworthy addresses in...

A look at noteworthy addresses in the Southland. Herminio Blanco, chief negotiator of the North American Free Trade Agreement for Mexico, spoke Monday on “The North American Free Trade Agreement” at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. From his address: On Mexico Since President Salinas de Gortari Took Office “We had an economy that was closed, an economy that had a lot of restrictions, permits and tariffs as high as 100%. Most of these have been eliminated. Our highest tariff is 20% and most of the sectors now do not have any restrictions, any permits for imports. We have deregulated major sectors, such as land transport. We have deregulated electricity, ports. We have deregulated the airlines. So (there is) a major drive to deregulate, to bring back efficiency in Mexico. The results are we now have the lowest inflation in 20 years. We have been able to grow these four years at rates higher than the rate of population growth. And, even if we face recession in most of the world, we have been able to diversify our exports. Now only 30% of our exports are oil and the rest are really diversified. Our main exports to the United States are autos and auto parts. We are the main exporter to the United States of televisions, refrigerators, stoves.”

On the North American Free Trade Agreement “We believe NAFTA is very important for Mexico because we need to grow more and we have found out, in the last years that, by opening the economy more we have been able to grow more, to be more effective, to generate better jobs and better wages for Mexico. . .We believe also that this agreement is very good for the United States . . . because it will give the United States the edge that it needs to face the competition from the (European) Community and from Japan and the rest of the Far East.”

Looking Ahead Monday: Jason Chih-Chiang Hu, director general of the Government Information Office for Taiwan, on “Democracy and Prosperity--The Republic of China Blueprint for China’s Unification,” 7:30 p.m., Century City Marriott. Sponsored by L.A. World Affairs Council. Call 213-628-2333.

Wednesday: Dr. David A. Grimes, professor of obstetrics, gynecology and preventive medicine at USC Medical School, on “RU486: The Collision Between Science and Politics,” 6:45 p.m., Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum, Claremont McKenna College, 385 E. 8th St., Claremont. Free and open to the public.

Announcements concerning prominent speakers in Los Angeles should be sent to Speaking Up, c/o Times researcher Michael Meyers, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053