Over 80pc of Mexican exports exempt from new US tariffs

MEXICO CITY, July 25: Over 80 percent of Mexican exports to the United States will be exempt from a new round of tariffs announced by Washington, Mexican Economic Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said Thursday.

The tariffs, which will hit some 60 countries, take effect Friday and come in response to investigations by the government of president Donald Trump regarding the use of forced labor in products exported to the United States, the Office of US Trade Representatives said in a statement.

But Ebrard said the majority of Mexican exports won't be affected because they comply with the requirements of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), a regional free trade accord signed in 2020.

Ebrard said in a social media video that over 80 percent of Mexican exports "follow the rules of the free trade agreement that we have, USMCA. Which is to say, that's not changing."�"AFP