Washington. The secretary of the Treasury, Scott Besent, said Friday that Mexico proposed to match the US tariffs to China, in a movement that described as “very interesting.”
“I think a very interesting proposal that the Mexican government has made is perhaps equal to the United States in our tariffs on China,” he said in an interview with Bloomberg TV.
“I think it would be a good gesture if the Canadians also did so that, in some way, we could have North America as a strength in front of the avalanche of Chinese imports that is coming out of the most unbalanced economy in the history of modern times,” he added.
By citing people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg News had reported that Mexican officials were willing to increase tariffs on Chinese products, and find ways to buy more from the United States, in an attempt to avoid the tariffs of President Donald Trump.
The administration of Claudia Sheinbaum has been planning to make the offer as part of the ongoing conversations with the Trump administration, according to one of the sources, which asked not to be identified.
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A person familiar with Mexico’s plans said that possible tariffs to China would focus on cars and auto parts. They could also include finished products, said another source of Bloomberg News.
Mexico’s proposal is the most recent effort to avoid 25%tariffs, which would take effect on March 4 and that Trump has threatened to apply to the country, as well as Canada, if they do not do more to cooperate with the United States.
Bloomberg recalled that since the beginning of the year, the Government of Mexico has taken energetic measures against the cheap imports of Asia, particularly from China, and imposed a tariff of up to 35% on the finished clothes of countries without a free trade agreement, while seeking to send a signal to the negotiators of the United States.
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