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Foreign Ministry, Ministry of Commerce respond to Mexico's plan to hike tariffs, vowing 'necessary' measures to safeguard China's legitimate interests

Global Times

By Global Times Published: Sep 11, 2025 05:16 PM

China's Foreign Ministry and Ministry of Commerce responded on Thursday to Mexico's plan to hike tariffs on a wide range of imports including autos and toys from countries including China, urging the Mexican side to exercise extreme caution and consider carefully before taking any actions.

China advocates a universally-beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, opposes all forms of unilateralism, protectionism and discriminatory and exclusive measures, and firmly rejects moves that are taken under coercion to constrain China or undermine China's legitimate rights and interests under any pretext, a spokesperson of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday.

Spokesperson Lin Jian's remarks were made after Mexico's Economy Ministry said on Wednesday that it plans to raise tariffs on automobiles from China and other Asian countries to 50 percent, Reuters reported, noting that the move comes as "the US pushes countries in Latin America to limit their economic ties with China."

In response to a foreign media request for comment on the report, Lin said that China will firmly protect its rights and interests in light of the developments of the situation.

China and Mexico are important members of the Global South and our economic and trade cooperation is win-win in nature, Lin said, noting that China attaches great importance to its relations with Mexico and hopes that Mexico will work with China to jointly advance world economic recovery and the development of global trade.

Regarding on Mexico's planned tariffs and analysis that such moves are aligned with long-held agenda by the US to contain China, a Ministry of Commerce spokesperson said on late Thursday that relevant reports have been noticed and the ministry will closely monitor Mexico's tariff increase and carefully evaluate the final measures. At a time when the US' abuse of tariffs has sparked widespread global opposition, all countries should strengthen communication and coordination to jointly safeguard free trade and multilateralism. The interests of third parties must not be sacrificed due to coercion from others.

Any unilateral tariff increases by Mexico, even within the framework of WTO rules, would be seen as appeasement and compromise with unilateral bullying. Once implemented, these measures would not only harm the interests of relevant trading partners, including China, but would also seriously undermine the certainty of Mexico's business environment and reduce corporate confidence in investing in the country, the spokesperson said.

"China and Mexico are important economic and trade partners, and we do not wish to see our economic and trade cooperation affected. We urge the Mexican side to exercise extreme caution and consider carefully before taking any actions," said the spokesperson.

China has always advocated that all parties resolve economic and trade differences through equal dialogue and consultation. We oppose any form of unilateralism, protectionism, and discriminatory and exclusionary measures, and firmly oppose all practices that harm China's interests. China will take necessary measures based on actual circumstances to resolutely safeguard its legitimate rights and interests, said the spokesperson.

"Citing the excuse that Chinese exports are being exported to the US via Mexico, the US is coercing and bullying other countries to reduce bilateral trade with China," He Weiwen, a senior fellow at the Center for China and Globalization, told the Global Times on Thursday.

The US move is unreasonable since it has no right to interfere in Mexico's trade ties with other countries, He said, stressing that the US move violates WTO rules of non-discriminatory treatment.

Mexico's reported plan to raise tariffs and control imports could limit the development of its domestic production, said Sun Xiaohong, secretary-general of the automotive internationalization professional committee under the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products.

"Local production and R&D capabilities are limited, with most enterprises being joint ventures or multinational companies. As a result, Mexico still relies on Chinese components and technology to support its manufacturing sector," Sun told the Global Times.

Most cars produced by multinationals in Mexico are intended for export, while the local market continues to depend on imports from China, particularly new-energy vehicles and smart cars, Sun said.

Mexico is China's second-largest trading partner in Latin America, and China is Mexico's third-largest export destination.

According to China's General Administration of Customs, bilateral trade between China and Mexico reached $109.426 billion in 2024, with Chinese exports totaling $90.232 billion and imports standing at $19.195 billion.