Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced that she has reached an agreement with US President Donald Trump to postpone new US tariffs on Mexican goods for one month. Therefore, her country will not take retaliatory measures for now, the Spanish news agency EFE reported, BTA reports.
Trump initially planned to impose a 25% tariff on imports of goods from Mexico, but the implementation of the measure was postponed until April 2. In response, Sheinbaum said that there was no need for an immediate reaction from Mexico and that the country would wait for the deadline set by Washington.
“There is no point in discussing measures to reduce uncertainty, since everything has been postponed until April 2“, commented the Mexican president.
She added that if the tariffs had gone into effect immediately, Mexico would have been forced to respond as early as Sunday. “I told President Trump: ‘I have to react for my people, because that is my fundamental duty,’”, Sheinbaum explained.
According to her, Mexico must work to strengthen its sovereignty by increasing domestic production and reducing its dependence on imports. “This is not just a matter of growth, but of economic development with prosperity. We need to produce more here because we import significant amounts of goods from other regions,” she stressed.
The energy sector is one of the key priorities for improvement, as it will strengthen the country’s economic stability. Sheinbaum also emphasized the need to promote self-sufficiency and boost domestic food production.
The issue of tariffs is of utmost importance for Mexico, as the United States is its largest trading partner. In 2023, exports to the United States reached $490 billion, representing nearly 30% of the country’s gross domestic product, according to data from the Mexican Institute of Competitiveness.