The Secretary of Economy, Marcelo Ebrard, stated that China provides industrial protection and Mexico does not complain about it.
His comments were made in the context of the launch of a Chinese investigation into a tariff increase that Mexico plans to impose on products from countries with which it does not have trade agreements.
Industrial Protection
«They (the Chinese) protect certain sectors, but so do we. That’s fine, no problem. We have never protested about it. For example, sugar is very difficult to export. (China) has a tariff of almost 30%. But we have never said that this is a political measure or anything like that,“ said Ebrard, questioned by the press at the end of the event ”What Design Can Do Mexico,» held in Mexico City.
Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration proposed applying the maximum tariff authorized by the WTO. The measure would impact 1,463 tariff items in 17 strategic sectors. It is part of the 2026 Economic Package, which must be approved in 2025 by the Mexican Congress.
In response, China’s Ministry of Commerce announced an investigation on Thursday. The process will review possible barriers to trade and investment resulting from the restrictive measures promoted by Mexico. The decision marks a new source of bilateral tension.
“Tariffs are not a political act for Mexico. We must make a distinction. Perhaps in other countries, such as our neighbor, they do have that implication; we do not share that view,” Ebrard commented.
Trade balance
This week, Ebrard met with the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China, Daojiang Chen, in Mexico City to discuss this issue.
“The driving force behind these decisions is to protect certain industries in Mexico and safeguard our foreign trade balance. So, I told the ambassador that Mexico’s deficit with China grew by 83% between 2020 and 2025. That rate of growth is unsustainable. In other words, if we do nothing, the deficit will double next year,” added Ebrard.
According to a statement released last Thursday, the Chinese government will initiate the investigation in accordance with the Foreign Trade Law of the People’s Republic of China. In addition, it will apply the rules for investigating foreign trade barriers issued by its Ministry of Commerce.
“I told him (the ambassador), this is a measure like the one you took last year. Last year, you raised several hundred tariffs because you want to protect certain industries,” said Ebrard.