For Mexico, completely eliminating the tariffs imposed by the United States in the upcoming review of the USMCA is unlikely, but the final decision rests solely with President Donald Trump, according to the American Society of Mexico (Amsoc).
At a press conference, Larry Rubin, president of the organization, stated that while the business sector has been pushing for a return to zero tariffs on regional trade, and most goods currently remain tariff-free, the goal of the bilateral talks is for Mexico to become a priority market.
“If tariffs are imposed, Mexico should have as few as possible, very specific and limited, with no significant impact on the trade balance, and develop a strategy to eliminate these existing tariffs in the medium and long term. We believe there are possibilities,” said the head of Amsoc.
Without directly addressing the comments of Jamieson Greer, the United States Trade Representative (USTR), who stated that tariffs would remain in place during the USMCA review, Larry Rubin reiterated that the final decision and strategy rests solely with Trump.
“By July 1st, we would like to see the tariffs on the domestic steel industry, particularly Section 232, resolved, but we don’t know if President Trump, whose decision ultimately depends on this, will approve it. We don’t see it as feasible before July 1st,” Rubin noted.
“We believe several tariffs will remain, although we also hope they will be largely eliminated.”
He added that even with Trump’s tariff policy, Mexico has gained an advantage over most countries, which has allowed for greater penetration of Mexican goods in the United States, creating a dependency that will allow for an analysis of returning to a zero tariff rate.
It’s worth recalling that, following Monday’s meeting between Mexican business leaders and authorities with Jamieson Greer, José Medina Mora, president of the Business Coordinating Council (CCE), indicated that there will be clarity on the direction of tariffs on the steel and automotive industries starting July 1st.
“Today we have tariffs, everyone has tariffs, the world has changed. Our position is that there should be zero tariffs on everything that complies with rules of origin,” explained the head of the CCE.
Source: reforma
