Mexican ministers to visit US seeking to avert tariffs
National flags representing the United States and Mexico hang inside in a textile factory that produces T-shirts, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Christian Chavez)
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MEXICO CITY: Mexico's economy and security ministers are preparing to visit the United States for talks with Donald Trump's administration aimed at averting trade tariffs, President Claudia Sheinbaum said Monday (Feb 17).
Trump announced on Feb 3 that he was pausing tariffs on Mexico for one month after Sheinbaum pledged to send more troops to the US border to tackle drug smuggling.
Mexican Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard and Security Minister Omar Garcia Harfuch are expected to visit Washington this week to resolve outstanding issues, Sheinbaum said.
Sheinbaum vowed retaliation on Feb 1 after Trump announced 25 per cent tariffs on Mexican goods, accusing the Latin American country of not doing enough to stop illegal migration and fentanyl smuggling.
Days later, Trump delayed the imposition of trade levies after Sheinbaum agreed in a telephone call to deploy 10,000 more soldiers to the countries' shared border.
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In theory, Mexico should be protected against US tariffs by a regional free trade agreement that was renegotiated under Trump.
The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which replaced the previous NAFTA accord on Jul 1, 2020, is due to be reviewed by July next year.
Sheinbaum recently presented a plan to replace Chinese imports with domestically produced goods - an apparent bid to ease Washington's concerns that Chinese companies want to use Mexico as a backdoor into the United States.
