Mexico says its crackdown on Asian steel shipments is working, as it presses the United States for relief from tariffs on steel, aluminium and cars.

Deputy Economy Minister Luis Rosendo Gutierrez told journalists in Mexico City on Wednesday, 11 November, that Mexico was making sure no steel from China or other countries was rerouted through its territory into the United States under North America's trade pact. He said the government had tightened traceability checks with industry and was guaranteeing that products were not reaching the United States by exploiting Mexico's trade preferences.

1,100 mill registrations cancelled

Gutierrez said Mexico had cancelled around 1,100 mill registrations, many of them in Asia, after authorities found the mills did not exist. He said the move had helped cut steel imports from Vietnam by 80 per cent in some months.

He added that Mexico had reduced steel and aluminium imports from third countries, including China, South Korea and India, by about 30 per cent, stemming imports worth some 13 billion pesos, about $698.5 million.

Tariff relief is the priority

Mexico's priority, Gutierrez said, is to reduce the impact of US Section 232 tariffs on cars, steel and aluminium, rather than focus on a broader review of the US-Mexico-Canada trade pact. He 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 the end of the year.

The mill cancellation programme began in 2025, when the Economy Ministry said it would cancel more than 1,000 registrations from a catalogue of 2,233 mills. An update in May 2025 cut the register to 1,139 mills, with all producing mills in Vietnam removed.