Mexico spent a total of 2.844 billion dollars on Chinese aluminum products and 109 million dollars on Russian products. On a monthly basis, imports from China to Mexico averaged 237 million dollars, while those from Russia averaged 9.1 million dollars monthly. Among the imported products are raw aluminum, bars and profiles, wire, sheets and strips, among others, according to the reported tariff fractions.
Due to these imports, trade tensions have arisen with the United States, which accuses Mexico of engaging in 'unfair trade' by using primary aluminum from Chinese and Russian sources to produce derived articles that are then exported to U.S. territory. This conflict led the U.S. government to officially publish an adjustment to aluminum imports, establishing a 50 percent tariff under the premise of protecting national security.
In a document issued in the U.S. Federal Register, it is mentioned that Mexico is utilizing its access to global primary aluminum to increase its presence in the U.S. market. The justification provided is that, despite tariffs imposed on certain aluminum imports from Mexico in the past, they have continued to rise above historical volumes.
It is worth noting that in 2024, Mexico imported a total of 10.232 billion dollars in aluminum products, with China accounting for 28 percent of imports and Russia for 1.1 percent. This situation positions Mexico as an important consumer of aluminum, with China and Russia being two of its main suppliers.
