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Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her country would review tariffs on Chinese shipments, a move that could give the Trump administration a win in its push to build a “Fortress North America” that blocks shipments from the Asian nation.
“We have to review the tariffs that we have with China,” Sheinbaum said at a press conference Thursday.
She pointed to Mexico’s problems in textile and shoe production, saying: “Much of the entry of Chinese products into Mexico caused this industry to fall in our country.”
The comments come after President Donald Trump offered major reprieves to Mexico and Canada, the US’s two largest trading partners, by exempting goods from those nations that are covered by the North American trade agreement known as USMCA from his 25% tariffs.
Trump’s decision marked a significant reversal. On Tuesday he had announced the largest tariff increase in a century only to back down 48 hours later as stocks were hammered and Republicans expressed concern about the economic consequences.
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Trump decided to pare back the tariffs after speaking to Sheinbaum, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and auto company executives.
Chinese companies have shifted production to Mexico and routed shipments through the nation since Trump hit the Asian country with tariffs back in his first term. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently said Mexico has proposed matching Washington’s tariffs on China and urged Canada to do the same.
“I think it would be a nice gesture if the Canadians did it also, so in a way we could have ‘Fortress North America’ from the flood of Chinese imports,” he said.
Speaking at a briefing on Thursday, Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao said “certain countries are wielding the tariff stick, disrupting the international trade order and affecting the stability of the global industrial and supply chains.” Beijing would “make all efforts” to support foreign trade in these circumstances, he said.
--With assistance from Crayton Harrison.
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