The Americas | Caught in the middle

Does made in Mexico mean made by China?

Donald Trump believes Mexico is a trojan horse for Chinese mercantilism

A collage illustration showing a cutout of XI Jinping’s facing Donald Trump’s face on the right with a small cutout image of Claudia Sheinbaum between them. Behind them are some shipping containers and the The San Lázaro Legislative Palace of Mexico
Illustration: Klawe Rzezcy/Getty Images
|Mexico City

In 2018 United States President Donald Trump started a trade war with China. Mexico benefited; companies seeking to avoid tariffs by diversifying production out of China saw the country as a good option thanks to affordable labour, decent infrastructure and, most importantly, its free-trade agreement with the United States.

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This article appeared in the The Americas section of the print edition under the headline “Caught in the middle”

From the January 11th 2025 edition

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