Overview

• China’s Ministry of Commerce launched the investigation on September 25 into Mexico’s plan to raise duties on imports from countries without free‑trade agreements, also covering other recent measures affecting China.
• The probe will proceed under China’s Foreign Trade Law and trade‑barrier rules, allows written submissions for 20 days, and is scheduled to conclude in six months with a possible three‑month extension.
• Mexico’s Paquete Económico 2026 proposes lifting tariffs to WTO ceilings on 1,463 tariff lines across 17 sectors, affecting about $52 billion in imports, with autos at 50% and auto parts at 10–50%.
• China listed affected product groups that include vehicles and parts, textiles and apparel, plastics, steel, appliances, aluminum, toys, furniture, footwear, leather goods, paper and cardboard, motorcycles, and glass.
• Beijing warned the proposed hikes would undermine business certainty and investor confidence and noted U.S. officials recently praised Mexico’s plan, while also suggesting U.S. pressure may be influencing Mexico.