US wants Mexico to institute Section 232-type tariffs

The US government has requested that Mexico impose tariffs similar to Section 232 on steel and aluminum imports from outside North America, according to a report in Bloomberg on Sunday.

The goal is to maintain preferred treatment for products made in the US, Canada, and Mexico, and to act as a barrier against Chinese steel and aluminum, the article said. It cited unnamed people with direct knowledge of the matter.

Mexico is open to pursuing this possibility as part of the broader USMCA review negotiations underway, the sources told Bloomberg. Rates and products are still being considered.

Last week, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer met with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, among other officials, for the third round of bilateral talks between the nations.

A fourth round of bilateral negotiations in Washington, D.C., has been set for September.

A request for comment from the Office of the USTR was not returned by time of publication.

Ethan Bernard

Ethan Bernard is managing editor for Steel Market Update. He previously worked for American Metal Market as a copy editor in the New York office for two years, starting in 2008. Later, he copy edited AMM’s monthly magazine on a freelance basis from 2015 until 2017. With experience in financial copywriting and textbook publishing, he holds a BA in Comparative Literature from UC Berkeley, and an MFA in Creative Writing from New York University. He can be reached at ethan@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-759-7871.

Ethan Bernard

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