The global crises have strengthened the links and integration of North American production, said Marcelo Ebrard, Mexico‘s Secretary of Economy.
More than 50% of trade between Mexico, the United States and Canada corresponds to intermediate products. In other words, components, parts and other inputs that cross borders before the final product. This confirms a high level of integration in regional value chains.
According to Ebrard, this cooperation is not new. It is the result of a historical process. One that has aligned interests between three economies with different trajectories.
In addition, structural factors such as geographic proximity and demographic complementarity have been key. Thanks to them, the region has overcome tensions and crises over time.
North American production
Today, despite political and geopolitical changes, economic interdependence remains strong. Supply chains remain strong. And shared benefits continue to make North America a competitive bloc.
In Ebrard’s words, “Past trade disputes and global crises have strengthened, rather than weakened, the ties between countries, consolidating the region as a resilient and competitive bloc.”
Ebrard reflected these ideas in the USMCA Forward 2025 report, prepared by the Brookings Institution.
China vs. Mexico
The United States, Canada and Mexico have an outstanding opportunity. A report by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) suggests that in order to strengthen regional integration, the three nations must coordinate trade, technology and innovation policies. In addition, it is crucial to reverse protectionist measures that hinder competitiveness.
The report states that it is more strategic for the United States to maintain low-cost production in Mexico than in China. It is also in its interest to expand the regional market and strongly develop the natural resources of the North American bloc. However, the 25% tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on Canada and Mexico go in the opposite direction. These tariffs threaten to weaken the shared productive system.
In March 2025, the ITIF presented a new trade proposal. In its report Toward Globalization 2.0, the agency suggests a strategy to strengthen U.S. industrial leadership. Among the recommendations, it highlights joining treaties such as CPTPP. This would make it possible to counteract unfair trade practices, especially on the part of China.