The bill approved by the Mexican Senate that increases import duties on products from a dozen countries includes Brazil. The project was voted on Wednesday evening and, initially, it was thought that the surcharges would only apply to Asian countries.
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The text, examined under strong pressure from the United States, was approved by 76 votes for and five against. Besides China and Brazil, affected countries include South Korea, India, Indonesia, Russia, Thailand, Turkey and Taiwan.
On Tuesday, the Chamber of Deputies had already voted on Speaker Claudia Sheinbaum’s proposal, which must now be published so that the new tariffs come into force on January 1, 2026.
The Mexican government expects the move to result in some relief from U.S. tariffs on products such as steel and aluminum imported from Mexico.
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The Mexican tariffs will affect 1,463 tariff classifications in sectors such as automobiles, textiles, clothing, plastics, household appliances and shoes, among others, mainly Chinese products.
Supplements will vary between 5% and 50%, depending on the initial project. But the majority were between 20 and 35%, and only in a few cases was the initially planned rate maintained.
A total of 35 senators abstained from the vote, arguing that the bill was drafted in haste, without analyzing its impact on inflation, and in response to pressure from US President Donald Trump.
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In support of the reform, ruling party lawmakers stressed that it seeks to strengthen Mexico’s industrial sector, promote job creation and expand supply chains.
The proposal “has the sole objective of strengthening the national economy,” Senator Juan Carlos Loera of the ruling Morena party said during the debate.
Sheinbaum introduced the proposal in September, amid growing trade pressure from Trump and accusations that Mexico is the gateway for Chinese goods to the United States.
Mexico, alongside Canada, is preparing to negotiate the renewal of the North American Free Trade Agreement (T-MEC) with the United States, in the face of new demands from the White House.
— These tariffs coincide with a wave of trade restrictions in the United States, which raises a central question: Does Mexico set its own trade policy or does it react to Washington, or worse, obey Washington? — asked Mario Humberto Vázquez, of the opposition PAN party.
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Sheinbaum rejected this criticism, arguing that the measure is part of Plan Mexico, a project she launched to strengthen the domestic market, reduce dependence on imports from third countries and generate a greater proportion of national content.
After announcing the reform in September, China warned that it opposed any “coercion” to impose restrictions on its exports and said it was considering retaliatory measures.
The Sheinbaum government has proposed a “working group” to the Asian giant regarding this initiative, although few details of the dialogue have been disclosed.
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Several sectors and industries have expressed opposition to the initiative. Amapola Grijalva, a representative of the Mexico-China Chamber of Commerce, warned AFP that this could have an impact on inflation and that building a Mexican supply chain would require time and investment.
For China, tariffs are unjustified and harmful
Chinese officials have criticized Mexico’s tariffs, calling them unjustified and harmful.
The highest customs duties, 50%, will apply to Chinese cars. China’s powerful automobile industry currently dominates 20% of the Mexican market.
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Authorities and associations of the Mexican automobile industry have supported the surcharges, as a means of protecting national production, the engine of the country’s productive sector.
In addition to the surcharges, parliamentarians approved a measure that gives more power to the Ministry of the Economy. They can adjust import tariffs if necessary.
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