By Kylie Madry
MEXICO CITY, Nov 11 (Reuters) – Mexico is working to ensure that no steel from China or other countries is rerouted through its territory into the United States under North America’s trade pact, a Mexican senior trade official said on Wednesday, as Mexico presses Washington for relief from tariffs on steel, aluminum and autos.
Luis Rosendo Gutierrez, Mexico’s deputy economy minister for foreign trade, told journalists the government had tightened traceability measures with industry and was guaranteeing that products were not reaching the United States by exploiting Mexico’s trade preferences.
• “We want to guarantee – and we are guaranteeing – that there is no triangulation of steel or other products that reach the United States taking advantage of our trade agreement,” Gutierrez said
• Gutierrez said Mexico had canceled around 1,100 mill registrations, many in Asia, that authorities found did not exist, helping cut steel imports from Vietnam by 80% in some months
• He added that Mexico had reduced steel and aluminum imports from third countries including China, South Korea and India by about 30%, stemming some 13 billion pesos ($698.54 million) in imports
• Mexico’s priority, Gutierrez said, is to reduce the impact of US Section 232 tariffs on autos, steel and aluminum rather than focus on a broader review of the US-Mexico-Canada trade pact
• Gutierrez said US officials had been receptive to proposals put forward by Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard, and that Mexico hoped for positive news in the coming weeks before year-end
($1 = 18.6103 Mexican pesos)
(Reporting by Kylie Madry, Editing by Iñigo Alexander)