US President Donald Trump’s administration told Mexican officials that they should put their own duties on Chinese imports as part of their efforts to avoid tariffs threatened by Trump, people familiar with the matter said.
US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick was among US officials who conveyed that message at a meeting on Thursday last week in Washington with a Mexican delegation, including Mexican Secretary of Economy Marcelo Ebrard, the people said.
US Trade Representative nominee Jamieson Greer and National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett also attended the meeting.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has bolstered efforts to crack down on cheap imports from China, a move to support domestic industries as well as appease a Trump administration that is threatening 25 percent tariffs on its North American trade partners.
Mexico did not make any commitments on China during the meeting, which ended with an agreement to establish a working group from the two countries to continue exploring trade and tariff issues, the people said.
The Washington meeting was the start of “a constructive dialogue, and joint work would begin on Monday,” Ebrard said in a post on X.
Trump has demanded Mexico and Canada do more to restrict the flow of migrants and fentanyl into the US or face 25 percent tariffs.
Originally set for Feb. 1, the White House delayed implementing those duties for a month. Meanwhile, the US imposed an additional 10 percent tariff on all imports from China.
Separately, Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers said he would be traveling to Washington later yesterday, as the US ally presses its case to be excluded from tariffs.
“Trade and tariffs will be part of the conversation, but not the whole conversation,” Chalmers said on Australian Broadcasting Corp’s Insiders program.
He said he plans to meet with US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent and to highlight areas of economic partnership, including the large investments made in the US by Australia’s US$2.6 trillion pension industry.
While Trump earlier this month agreed to consider an exemption for Australia from tariffs on steel and aluminum, Senior Counselor to the President for Trade and Manufacturing Peter Navarro quickly threw that into doubt, saying that Australia was “killing” the US aluminum market.
“I don’t expect to conclude those discussions on steel and aluminum while I’m in DC,” Chalmers said. “But whether it’s the flow of capital or critical minerals and trade, there’s lots to talk about.”
Chalmers said he would also address the Australian Superannuation Investment Summit, which is being held in the US capital. Large Australian funds invest about one in five dollars of members’ retirement savings in the US, according to a statement issued collectively by representatives attending the event.
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