The administration of Donald Trump has asked Mexico to impose tariffs on Chinese imports as part of negotiations to avoid the tariffs that the United States plans to apply to Mexican products starting March 4. During a meeting in Washington, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick conveyed this message to the Mexican delegation led by Secretary of Economy Marcelo Ebrard. Jamieson Greer and Kevin Hassett were also present. In the meeting, Mexico did not specifically commit regarding China.
Both countries agreed to establish a bilateral working group to continue exploring trade and tariff issues. Claudia Sheinbaum has intensified efforts to combat low-cost imports from China in favor of domestic industries, in response to Trump's threats to impose a 25 percent tariff on North American trade partners. Trump has demanded that Mexico and Canada strengthen actions to control migration and fentanyl into the U.S., warning of a 25 percent tariff if they do not comply, scheduled for March 4.
According to economist Barba, the complaints of the Trump administration regarding the trade relationship between Mexico and China are justified, and Mexico should impose tariffs on Chinese imports if it cooperates with the United States. On the other hand, the Cuarto de Junto, a private sector intelligence body, is working in parallel to support T-MEC negotiations and has sectoral information regarding potential tariffs.
In another context, the U.S. has imposed an additional 10 percent tariff on all imports from China. Kate Kalutkiewicz, former director of international trade policy at the National Economic Council, mentioned that tariff measures are primarily related to China and its trade practices. Miguel González Ibarra from CEFI at UNAM pointed out that pressures from the Trump administration could be laying the groundwork for a structural transformation in the economic integration of North America. For his part, Guillermo Barba, chief economist at Top Money Report, considered that Mexico has no other option but to align with U.S. provisions in this regard.
