Mexican steel group demands ‘reciprocal measures’ to combat US Section 232 trade tariffs

Canacero expresses concern and it expects immediate reciprocal measures from our government if our country is included in the [232] measures, the association said late on Thursday March 1.

The US recorded a steel trade surplus of $3.60 billion with Mexico in the past two years, according to the association.

On Thursday, US president Donald Trump announced a tariff of 25% on steel imports, but full details will not be available until next week.

Canacero believes Mexico should be excluded from measures related to the investigation “to avoid a trade war” that would have a negative impact on the production chains in both countries.

The association also demanded measures to stop a “potential wave of unfair imports”, which could be diverted from the US to Mexico after the US implements any import measures.

Canacero believes a tariff on Mexican steel would be a violation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta), “just when negotiations are taking place”. 

The association has been urging the Mexican government to study the potential responses it could adopt in response to the imposition of US import tariffs on steel.