MEXICO CITY, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- Business associations in Mexico on Friday called on the government to protect employment and competitiveness in the ongoing talks on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

In a press release, President of the influential Business Coordinating Council (Spanish acronym CCE) Juan Pablo Castanon said any agreement must protect the interests of free trade.

"Our priority has been, and will continue to be, the promotion of modernization that benefits employment and the competitiveness of our country," he added.

Negotiating teams from the United States and Mexico have recently resumed talks in Washington over NAFTA, though differences on vital issues and the absence of Canada have hampered the process.

He said that the CCE required "legal guarantees that investment will quicken our country's development and lead to more and better jobs."

The CCE leader said that over 100 specialists from across Mexican production sectors had gathered in Washington to accompany the government's negotiation team.

Mexican Economy Minister and chief NAFTA negotiator Ildefonso Guajardo told journalists in Washington on Thursday that negotiations could extend into next week.

NAFTA renegotiations began in August last year at the request of U.S. President Donald Trump who said the previous agreement unfairly benefited Mexico at the expense of U.S. industry, and threatened to withdraw from the trade deal unless U.S. demands are met.