In light of the possible imposition of 25% tariffs on Mexico by the government of US President Donald Trump, the Mexican Association of Freight Forwarders (Amacarga) considered it necessary to apply trade protection measures to national companies.
Juan Pablo Pacheco, president of the organization, commented that there are various options that could be applied to respond to unilateral actions, “there would be the possibility that the Mexican government would grant tax breaks to national companies to replace imports.”
He also mentioned that there is an option to diversify markets and stop sourcing some American products to strengthen acquisitions from countries in Latin America, Europe and Asia.
He considered that January 30 and 31 will be crucial for the country to exhaust all avenues of negotiation and prevent the United States government from resorting to a unilateral decision that would harm the relationship between the two countries and “could lead to a trade war in which we would all lose.”
“If tariffs are applied to our exports unilaterally and for political reasons on February 1, we will have to think about the various options that the USMCA allows us and consider everything from applying mirror measures to resorting to Article 31 regarding dispute resolution or even appealing to the World Trade Organization. Everything will depend on what is announced,” he said.
It is worth remembering that the 450 freight agents affiliated with Amacarga move 85 thousand tons of industrial supplies and more than two million containers per year through the main ports of Manzanillo , Veracruz and Salina Cruz.
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