Mexico approved a 50% tariff hike against China on Wednesday amid President Donald Trump’s push to get Mexico to do its part in curtailing Beijing’s influence.
The Mexican Senate approved the measure overwhelmingly by a vote of 76-5 with 35 abstentions ahead of a review over the United States–Mexico–Canada trade agreement next year. The new law is set to go into effect in 2026, with China saying the new measures are “unilateralist and protectionist” while saying Mexico was “going against the tide of economic globalization.”
The Trump administration has been pressuring Mexico and other Latin American states to curtail Chinese encroachment into their nations, most recently publishing a National Security Strategy document promulgating that the Western Hemisphere was America’s chief foreign policy priority.
The White House did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has had a contentious relationship with Trump, partially due to her less combative approach in combating cartels in her nation.
Mexico and China have enjoyed a solid trade relationship, with cars being China’s top export to the Latin American nation. Beijing runs a substantial trade surplus with Mexico, exporting $71 billion more than it imported from the nation in 2024.
“At a time when the U.S.’s abuse of tariffs has sparked widespread global opposition, all countries should strengthen communication and coordination to jointly uphold free trade and multilateralism,” the Chinese Embassy in the U.S. previously told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Any unilateral tariff increase by Mexico, even within the framework of WTO rules, will be seen as appeasement and compromise of unilateral bullying.”
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