Mexico Calls U.S. Tariff Hike on Steel and Aluminum Legally Baseless
A steel factory in Mexico. X/ @informador
June 4, 2025 Hour: 12:19 pm
Nevertheless, the Sheinbaum administration would seek to reach an agreement with Washington on the issue.
On Wednesday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum called the increase in U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum from 25% to 50% an unjust measure that lacks legal basis. She said her government would seek to reach an agreement with Washington on the issue.
RELATED:
No Speculation Can Be Made”: Sheinbaum Responds to Marco Rubio After Murder of Officials in Mexico
“From our perspective, it has no legal basis, because there is a trade agreement in place. The move is being justified on grounds of U.S. national security. Yet just yesterday, the White House press secretary said there is very good cooperation with Mexico on all fronts, including security. So we don’t believe there is any justification,” Sheinbaum said.
The Mexican president added that the tariff hike is also an “unsustainable” measure, noting the significant volume of auto parts and steel and aluminum products that flow from Mexico to the United States.
On Friday, Economy Secretary Marcelo Ebrard will meet with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to seek a resolution to the tariff issue.
Meanwhile, Sheinbaum is scheduled to meet today with business chambers representing both industries to discuss the matter. She emphasized that her administration’s responsibility is to protect Mexican steel and aluminum industries, for which the 50% tariffs represent a “major blow.”
“The 25% tariff was already a problem, but we were addressing it by reducing imports from other regions of the world,” she said.
President Donald Trump said that while the 25% tariffs had enabled “critical price support” in the domestic market, they had still not allowed the U.S. steel and aluminum industries to maintain the production capacity utilization rates necessary for their strength and for national defense needs.
Currently, the U.S. tariff increases on steel primarily affect Canada, Mexico, Brazil, South Korea and Vietnam. The aluminum tariff hike targets China, the second-largest exporter of aluminum to the U.S.
teleSUR/ JF
Source: EFE
