MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum said Tuesday that Mexico will respond to 25% tariffs imposed by the United States with its own retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods.
Sheinbaum said she will announce the products Mexico will target on Sunday in a public event in Mexico City’s central plaza, perhaps indicating Mexico still hopes to de-escalate the trade war set off by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Unlike China and Canada, Mexico decided to wait until Sunday, though the country has said since January that it had a plan ready for precisely this scenario.
Canada said it would slap tariffs on more than $100 billion of American goods over the course of 21 days.
Sheinbaum said Tuesday that there is no reason for penalties on some of the largest trading partners for the U.S.
“There is no motive or reason, nor justification that supports this decision that will affect our people and our nations,” she said.
The tariffs that had been threatened by President Donald Trump’sagainst Canada and Mexico went into effect Tuesday ratcheting up the risk of retaliations from the United States’ North American allies.
Starting just past midnight, imports from Canada and Mexico are now to be taxed at 25%, with Canadian energy products subject to 10% import duties.
Sheinbaum rejected the “fact sheet” published by the White House Monday that repeated the accusation that Mexican drug traffickers persist because “an intolerable relationship with the government Mexico.”
Mexico’s president called it “offensive, defamatory and without support” and then listed the achievements of her young administration against Mexico’s powerful drug cartels, including seizing more than a ton of fentanyl and dismantling 329 methamphetamine labs. She also noted that Mexico had sent 29 drug cartel figures requested by the United States to that country last week.
“We collaborate to avoid illegal drug trafficking to the United States, but as we have said on multiple occasions, that country’s government must take responsibility too for the crisis of opioid consumption that has caused so many deaths in the United States,” Sheinbaum said.
Mexico's president added that the tariffs Mexico will respond with are “not in any way or with the purpose of starting an economic or commercial confrontation that unfortunately and regrettably is the opposite of what we must be doing.”
“It’s inconceivable that they don’t think about the damage this is going to cause to United States citizens and businesses with the increase in prices for things produced in our country,” Sheinbaum said. “Also the damage it will cause by stopping job creation in both countries. No one wins with this decision.”
In reaction to tariffs on China, Beijing announced additional tariffs of up to 15% on imports of key U.S. farm products, including chicken, pork, soy and beef, and expanded controls on doing business with key U.S. companies.
China's new tariffs will take effect starting March 10. They follow U.S. President Donald Trump’s order to raise tariffs on imports of Chinese products to 20% across the board. Those took effect on Tuesday, along with 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico.
María Verza, The Associated Press
