Ministry of Commerce: Hope that Mexico can correct its unilateralism and protectionism as soon as possible

Beijing, December 11 (Xinhua) -- A spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce stated on the 11th that China has always opposed various forms of unilateral tariff measures and hopes that Mexico will correct its unilateralism and protectionism as soon as possible when asked about the tax proposal for non free trade partners that has been approved by the Mexican Congress.

A reporter asked: According to local media reports in Mexico, on December 10th local time, the Mexican Senate and House of Representatives approved a tax proposal for non free trade partners, and the new tax rate will come into effect on January 1, 2026. We also noticed that compared to the proposal submitted by the Mexican government to Congress in September, some tax items and rates have been adjusted in the version passed during this review. What is the comment of the Ministry of Commerce on this?

The spokesperson of the Ministry of Commerce said that we have taken note of the relevant reports and will closely monitor the implementation of measures by the Mexican side, and further evaluate the relevant impacts. The proposal passed in this review has made some adjustments based on September, with a certain degree of reduction in the tax rates for some automotive parts, light industrial products, textiles and clothing products. However, overall, once the relevant measures are implemented, they will still substantially harm the interests of relevant trading partners, including China.

The spokesperson stated that China has always opposed various forms of unilateral tariff measures and hopes that Mexico will correct this unilateralism and protectionism as soon as possible. In order to safeguard the interests of China's relevant industries, the Ministry of Commerce launched an investigation on trade and investment barriers in Mexico at the end of September according to law, and the investigation is currently in progress.

The spokesperson said that we have also noticed that a senior official from Mexico recently stated in an interview that this tax increase will serve the future review of the USMCA agreement. China is pleased to see relevant countries resolve economic and trade disputes through economic and trade agreements, but any agreement should not be conditional on affecting global trade development and should not harm China's legitimate interests. We hope that the Mexican side will attach great importance to and act prudently.

The spokesperson emphasized that China attaches great importance to the economic and trade relations between China and Mexico, and actively promotes the healthy and stable development of bilateral trade and investment cooperation. Against the backdrop of the complex and ever-changing international situation, as well as the shadow of trade protectionism, we look forward to Mexico and China moving towards each other, strengthening communication and dialogue in the economic and trade fields, properly managing differences, deepening pragmatic cooperation, and jointly safeguarding the overall situation of bilateral economic and trade relations.