March 4, 2025.- For the past thirty years—and especially since the negotiation of the USMCA—the United States, Mexico, and Canada have built a strong and competitive regional economy. This alliance has driven growth and job creation in all three countries.
The numbers tell the story: Total trade in goods and services among the USMCA partners increased more than 50% between 2021 and 2023 (USTR, 2024). But this isn’t just about trade—it’s about co-production, a system where we build and compete together and draw on each other’s strengths.
Imports from Mexico contain more than twice the American value-added compared to imports from the rest of the world—and nearly ten times more than imports from China. Mexico is also the largest buyer of American-made products from small and mid-sized businesses—purchasing 2.2 times what China buys and more than Japan, South Korea, India, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Germany combined. These aren’t just statistics; they represent American jobs, American factories, and American paychecks.
Tariffs put all of this at risk. Imposing tariffs on a co-production system would backfire. We’ve seen it from the instant reaction of the markets, the fear of small and mid-size producers, to the predictive increase in auto prices and inflation. The only real winners are our global competitors, especially China.
Our region thrives because we invest in each other—creating jobs, driving innovation, and ensuring that our supply chains remain competitive in a rapidly shifting global economy. Undermining this partnership weakens us all, handing strategic advantages to competitors who do not share our values or economic vision.
We can build on a winning formula that strengthens North America’s position as the world’s most dynamic economic bloc. Now is the time to double down on cooperation, stability, and shared prosperity. We trust the authorities will find a constructive solution that respects the binational legal framework and the guidelines set out in the USMCA.
A thriving future is built on certainty.
AMERICAN CHAMBER/MEXICO
Ciudad de México | 4 | marzo | 2025