Mexico issues new threat against US over Trump's tariffs

Mexico City, Mexico - Mexico will look for other trading partners if needed in the face of US President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs, his Mexican counterpart Claudia Sheinbaum warned Wednesday.

President Claudia Sheinbaum said Mexico will look for other trading partners if needed in the face of sweeping tariffs from the US.
President Claudia Sheinbaum said Mexico will look for other trading partners if needed in the face of sweeping tariffs from the US.  © ALFREDO ESTRELLA / AFP

Mexico has to take "important decisions for the future of the country" and "if necessary, other trading partners will be sought," she said at her morning news conference.

Sheinbaum said Tuesday her government would respond to Trump's 25% tariffs with retaliatory duties, calling on supporters to mass in Mexico City's main square on Sunday to hear details.

At the same time, she has said her government would prefer a negotiated solution and that she expects to speak to Trump by phone on Thursday about the tariffs, which he has linked to fentanyl trafficking and undocumented migration.

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The doors to dialogue "must always be open," Sheinbaum said.

Last week, her left-wing government pledged to take coordinated actions with Washington to tackle drug flows.

It also extradited some of its most notorious imprisoned drug lords to the US, including a cartel kingpin wanted for decades over the murder of a US undercover agent.

The US is Mexico's top trading partner, buying more than 80% of its exports.

Mexico vows to find new trade partners if needed

Sheinbaum has accused Washington of violating a free trade agreement with Mexico and Canada that was renegotiated during Trump's 2017-2021 presidency.

"Are we to blame for companies deciding to come to Mexico to export to the United States? No, it's the result of a good relationship since President Trump's first term and the trade agreement that came before," she said.

The US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which replaced the previous NAFTA accord on July 1, 2020, is due to be reviewed by July next year.

Cover photo: ALFREDO ESTRELLA / AFP

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