Trade Cases
CRU: Mexico to toughen controls on steel imports
Written by CRU Americas
April 12, 2024
To ease trade tensions with the United States, the economy ministry in Mexico is preparing measures to strengthen definitions on steel being shipped into the country.
Mexico has faced accusations it is being used as a route for steel and aluminum produced in Asia to be sent on to the US, so-called triangulation.
Earlier this year, United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai noted in a meeting with Mexico’s secretary of economy, Raquel Buenrostro, that the US has the right to reimpose 25% import duties on steel and 10% on aluminum.
The Section 232 tariffs on Mexico, implemented in 2018, were suspended in 2019 ahead of the USMCA trade agreement going into effect in 2020.
To avoid the levies’ return, the economy ministry said it would update documentation and information requirements for submission of automatic import notices for steel products on mill and quality certificates, Mexican media reported.
A preliminary draft to the changes is before the National Commission for Regulatory Improvement and will be subject to public comment before a final version is published in the Official Gazette and the changes become effective.
Canacero, a Mexican steel trade association, has bristled at suggestions that the country acts as a conduit for steel going into the US from other countries.
This article was first published by CRU. Learn more about CRU’s services at www.crugroup.com/analysis.
CRU Americas
Read more from CRU AmericasLatest in Trade Cases
Mexico considers stiff tariffs for steel, autos, and other imports
Mexico is considering imposing steep tariffs on imports of steel, automobiles, and over 1,400 other products. Its target? Countries with which it does not have free trade agreements, mainly China, India, Thailand, and other South Asian nations.
Leibowitz: With ‘reciprocal’ tariffs struck down again in court, what happens next?
President Trump’s “reciprocal” tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Policy Act (IEEPA) were struck down again, this time on Aug. 29 by the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC). The legal and policy mess continues, with the next stop being the US Supreme Court.
Market unfazed by US circuit court’s IEEPA decision
Repealing any reciprocal tariffs placed by President Donald Trump on US imports of direct reduced iron (DRI), iron ore, hot-briquetted iron (HBI), and pig iron would have only a nominal impact on the US steel market, market participants said.
ITC votes to keep HR duties after sunset review
The US government determined this week that hot-rolled steel imports from a handful of countries continue to threaten the domestic steel industry.
Steel Summit: Zekelman advocates for ‘Fortress North America’
Barry Zekelman has a unique vantage point from which to view today’s trade landscape. A Canadian national who owns operations in both the US and Canada, he has also had dialogue with both Canadian and American administrations.