Mexico will take countermeasures if US President Donald Trump refuses to grant tariff relief on steel and aluminum exports, President Claudia Sheinbaum said Wednesday.
Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard will hold talks in Washington to try to reach a deal, she said, calling Trump’s doubling of steel and aluminum tariffs to 50 percent “unfair.”
“If we don’t reach an agreement, we will also announce some measures that we must take to strengthen and protect jobs,” Sheinbaum told reporters.
“This isn’t about an eye for an eye, but rather about protecting our industry and our jobs,” she added, without specifying what steps her government was considering.
The steep tariffs would have a “huge impact” on Mexico’s steel and aluminum industry, Sheinbaum said.
Trump has announced various import duties targeting Mexico, before scrapping some of them, as part of his global trade war.
While he left Mexico off the list of nations facing his steep “reciprocal tariffs,” automobiles as well as steel and aluminum exports still face duties.
Mexico’s economy, the second-largest in Latin America, is considered one of those most vulnerable to Trump’s tariffs due to the close trade relations between the two countries.
At the same time, Mexico has benefited from tariff relief thanks to a three-way North American free trade agreement that also includes Canada.
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