Blog
Mexico announces: tariffs will be imposed on Chinese goods!
Release time:
2025-09-08 11:24
Source:
Maritime Network
On September 4th, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced at a press conference that Mexico is considering imposing tariffs on countries like China that have not signed trade agreements. This move is part of its "Mexico Plan," aimed at countering U.S. tariff threats and protecting domestic industries. The proposal is likely to be submitted to Congress before September 8th. In fact, Mexico's adjustment of trade policy towards China is not sudden but involves complex international political and economic factors.
Is Mexico submitting a "token of loyalty" to the United States?
On September 4th, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum publicly declared that the Mexican government plans to impose import tariffs on Asian countries including China. Although Mexico claims this is a general policy targeting all countries without free trade agreements with Mexico, analysts generally believe this is mainly to appease the Trump administration and curb Chinese goods transshipped through Mexico to the U.S.
The Mexican government intends to raise tariffs on Chinese imported goods in the 2026 budget proposal, with the highest rate possibly reaching 50%. The tariff increase will cover Chinese dominant export categories such as automobiles, textiles, and plastic products, and is expected to be submitted to Congress before September 8th. Given that Sheinbaum's party holds an absolute majority in the legislature, the proposal is very likely to be approved.
Although Mexico claims this move is to protect domestic enterprises from the impact of Chinese "subsidized products," many analyses point out that this is actually a "token of loyalty" to the Trump administration. It is worth mentioning that President Sheinbaum firmly stated in April this year that "Mexico will not be a puppet of any country," yet her stance changed significantly just four months later.
Key affected categories
Automobiles and auto parts are the main targets of this tariff increase. By 2025, Mexico has become the world's largest export destination for Chinese automobiles, surpassing Russia. Currently, Mexico imposes a maximum tariff of 20% on Chinese cars. If the new tariff policy is implemented, it will significantly increase the cost of Chinese cars in Mexico and weaken their market competitiveness.
Textiles are also a heavily impacted category. As China is Mexico's largest source of textiles, it has already faced a 35% import tariff. The new policy will undoubtedly make the situation for Chinese textiles in the Mexican market even more difficult.
In addition, plastic products, footwear, and others are also on the tariff list. The Mexican Minister of Economy has issued a decree imposing a baseline tariff of at least 25% on footwear products from countries without free trade agreements with Mexico, posing a huge challenge to the sales of Chinese footwear products in the Mexican market.
Policy change milestones
Since the Trump administration took office in early 2025, it has repeatedly demanded Mexico to "synchronize" its trade policies with the U.S., actively promoting the "Fortress North America" strategy. One of its core goals is to restrict Chinese goods from entering the U.S. market through Mexico. Under this pressure, Mexico has repeatedly taken restrictive measures against Chinese goods.
At the end of 2024, Mexico imposed a 35% import tariff on 138 tariff subcategories of textiles and apparel products and established a list banning textile imports. Since China is Mexico's largest textile source country, this move is clearly targeted.
In January this year, Mexico began imposing a 19% tariff on cross-border e-commerce goods (mainly from China), which cannot be avoided regardless of the courier company used to enter Mexico.
On August 15th, Mexico further raised the import tariff on parcels valued under $2,500 from 19% to 33.5%, mainly targeting goods from countries without free trade agreements with Mexico.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen once stated that if Mexico cooperates in imposing tariffs on China, it could "to some extent establish trade barriers." Mexico's current action is seen as a response to U.S. pressure to avoid a 25% tariff on its goods. Domestic industries in Mexico have long faced competitive pressure from Chinese products. China is Mexico's second-largest trading partner, and this tariff adjustment will directly affect China's exports to Mexico.
Impact on Chinese foreign trade enterprises
The scale of China-Mexico trade is huge, with bilateral trade exceeding $100 billion in 2024. Both sides are important trading partners. However, under U.S. pressure to promote the "Fortress North America" strategy, Mexico has introduced new tariff policies, posing many challenges to Chinese goods in the Mexican market.
With the implementation of the new tariff policy, the price competitiveness of key categories such as Chinese automobiles and textiles will decline. Automobile companies may lose market share and face squeezed profits; textile companies may see reduced orders and inventory buildup, with small enterprises even facing survival crises. Cross-border e-commerce companies are also severely affected, as Mexico raises tariffs on low-priced parcels and suspends related postal services, causing platform product prices to rise and delivery times to lengthen, impacting sales and user retention.
Chinese companies also need to pay close attention to the origin of goods issue. The U.S. is strengthening inspections. USMCA Under the rules of origin, the "U.S. content ratio" of Mexican export products is a key inspection point. Companies wishing to set up factories in Mexico to export to the U.S. must meet higher localization requirements. At the same time, the U.S. strictly inspects "false origin claims." Chinese companies should comprehensively assess the real production capacity of "nearshoring," supply chain localization capabilities, and compliance costs to avoid losses.