Mexico Officially Imposes Tariffs on Asian Products including Indonesia

ILLUSTRATION UNSPLASH/Bhargava Marripati

Mexico has officially set import tariffs of up to 35 percent on products from countries that are not bound by free trade agreements, including Indonesia, which will take effect on January 1, 2026.

The policy was announced by the Mexican Ministry of Economy on Tuesday. New import tariffs were also imposed on other Asian countries such as China, India, South Korea, and Thailand.

The new regulation revises tariffs on 1,463 products from various sectors, including automotive, textiles, plastics, steel, household appliances, aluminum, toys, furniture, footwear, paper, motorcycles, and glass.

Mexico's Ministry of Economy said the move was taken to protect around 350,000 jobs in sensitive sectors, such as footwear, textiles, steel and the automotive industry.

The import tariff is also expected to support "sovereign, sustainable, and inclusive reindustrialization in strategic sectors" in Mexico.

The policy was previously approved by the Mexican Congress, which confirmed that the tariffs were not aimed at a specific country, but rather to strengthen the national strategic industry.

The Mexican government said the new tariffs would increase local content in the production chain by up to 15 percent, while encouraging domestic manufacturers to reduce their dependence on imported materials.

In addition, this policy is expected to create 1.5 million jobs and increase domestic investment by 28 percent of Mexico's gross domestic product (GDP).

The move drew criticism from China. On December 11, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce criticized Mexico's import tariff policy and called for dialogue.

"China has always opposed unilateral tariff increases in all forms and urged Mexico to immediately correct its wrong practice of unilateralism and protectionism," the ministry said.

On December 12, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs RIAirlanggaHartarto said the increase in import tariffs did not have an impact on Indonesia so that the Indonesian government did not plan to negotiate with Mexico.