Mexico plans to place steel trade at the center of the first formal round of talks under the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) with the United States next week.
Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard said tariffs on Mexican steel will be the leading issue among a dozen trade topics the country intends to raise during the discussions.
Over the past year, steel has emerged as one of the most sensitive areas in bilateral trade. The United States imposed tariffs of up to 50% on certain Mexican steel products, even though it maintains a trade surplus with Mexico in the sector — a situation Mexican officials describe as unusual in global trade dynamics.
According to Ebrard, the matter has also been discussed at the highest political level. President Claudia Sheinbaum and U.S. President Donald Trump have addressed the issue in multiple calls, highlighting the sector’s strategic role in the economic relationship between the two countries.
The upcoming negotiations will focus on three main priorities: reducing dependence on Asian imports, reviewing regional rules of origin, and strengthening supply-chain security across North America.
Mexican officials link these discussions to the steel dispute, arguing that while tariffs remain in place against Mexican exports, U.S. imports of steel from Asian suppliers — including South Korea and Taiwan — continue to rise.
Alongside the international talks, Mexico is also considering domestic measures to support its steel industry. These include renewing tariffs on certain steel products and revising the IMMEX program to restrict temporary imports when domestic supply is available.
Authorities are also exploring policies to increase the use of locally produced steel in public infrastructure projects in order to strengthen internal demand.
Despite ongoing uncertainty in U.S. trade policy, Ebrard said Mexico approaches the negotiations with cautious optimism. The regional debate, he noted, has shifted from focusing on trade deficits to improving North America’s competitiveness against Asian economies.
source: Expansión
