Economy Secretary Marcelo Ebrard defended Mexico's position in the review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) before legislators on Sunday, August 30: the country exports to the United States at an average effective tariff rate of 3.4 percent, compared to 6.7 percent for the rest of the world, according to El Universal.
Ebrard called the process "the most difficult negotiation that is going to exist" and recalled that the US administration had initially proposed a blanket 25 percent tariff on all Mexican goods. The USMCA review, conducted this year jointly by all three countries, sets the rules for regional trade in the years ahead, and Mexico is the leading supplier to the US market. The secretary said he travels to Washington practically every week to maintain ongoing dialogue with US authorities. According to Bloomberg Línea, he will travel on Tuesday, September 1, to Miami for the G20 forum and will meet with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick; the date of the fourth round of talks has not yet been confirmed.
Ebrard compared Mexico's effective tariff rate to that of Vietnam, at around 6.4 percent, one of its main competitors as a supplier to the US market: "We are the ones who export the most and we are the ones who pay the least." He also cited the growth of Mexican exports, at 24.6 percent, driven by electronics and goods linked to artificial intelligence, and maintained that the United States remains the leading investor in Mexico, with approximately $16.8 billion, followed by Spain and Canada. The Mexican government is seeking to reduce US tariffs of 50 percent on its steel and aluminum exports and 25 percent on automobiles. Ebrard rejected forecasts anticipating a sharp drop in foreign direct investment and underscored that productive integration with the United States and Canada remains strategic.
Tuesday's meeting on September 1 in Miami between Ebrard and Lutnick will be the next concrete reference point in the trilateral USMCA review. "I will be able to share more information once those meetings are done," the secretary said before departing.
This article was written with artificial intelligence assistance from verified sources and reviewed by a human editor before publication.