Claiming that their gains have come at the expense of U.S. manufacturers, Trump has repeatedly attacked Germany and Mexico over their trade surpluses. And he has vowed to withdraw from NAFTA if he cannot renegotiate it in favor of the United States.

Speaking on a visit to Mexico just a few weeks after her foreign minister visited the country and backed its pro-NAFTA stance, Merkel said she was pleased the deal’s signatories, the United States, Mexico and Canada, were talking about an update.

“I hope these talks are a big success,” she said at a news conference alongside President Enrique Pena Nieto in Mexico City. “And I’d like to offer thanks that the interests of German companies are also being taken into consideration.”