Mexico plans to further increase tariffs, putting significant pressure on textile export companies
On August 18, Eastern Time, Bloomberg News, citing informed sources, reported that the Mexican government is evaluating a new round of trade restriction measures, planning to continue raising tariffs on imported goods from countries that have not signed free trade agreements, including China, South Korea, India, and Vietnam. Textiles, clothing fabrics, and finished garments have been identified as key control categories, while steel derivatives, auto parts, electronic products, and plastic consumer goods are also included in the assessment list.
The new regulations implement differentiated treatment, with free trade partners such as the United States, Canada, and the European Union exempt from tariff constraints. The policy primarily targets Asian supply chain countries. At present, Mexico’s Ministry of Economy and Ministry of Finance are still in the stage of internal evaluation and have not issued a formal bill, while they are extensively soliciting opinions from domestic manufacturers. Although the plan has not yet been implemented, considering the steadily tightening trade trends over the past two years, textile foreign trade enterprises need to make advance risk assessments.
The textile industry has become a major victim of tariff adjustments.
Mexico’s trade protection policies are not temporary measures. Since 2026, two rounds of large-scale tariffs have been implemented, with the textile and apparel industry being at the forefront of each round of impact.
In January 2026, Mexico upgraded temporary tariffs to permanent regulations, imposing 10%‑50% tariffs on products under 1,463 tariff codes. For textiles alone, this covers over a thousand tariff codes, including yarn, greige fabric, finished fabrics, and all types of clothing. Textile tariffs were increased to 25%‑35%, and tariffs on clothing could reach up to 45%, involving imports worth as much as 52 billion USD.
In April of the same year, Mexico further escalated the situation by imposing an additional 5%–35% tariff on 185 tariff codes, with clothing, footwear, and textile accessories facing increased taxation once again. After the two rounds of policies, the cost of Chinese textiles entering Mexico has risen significantly. The recent news of a third round of tariff increases suggests that textile export enterprises may face even greater cost pressures.
China is Mexico’s largest source of textile and apparel imports. In 2024, China’s exports of textiles and clothing to Mexico are valued at tens of billions of U.S. dollars, accounting for over 30% of Mexico’s imports in this category. Many small and medium-sized foreign trade enterprises have deeply cultivated the Mexican and Latin American markets, with orders primarily focusing on high-volume, low-margin products. Industry data indicate that after the tariffs were implemented, exports of certain categories have experienced a noticeable decline, and mass-produced basic products with thin profit margins have been the first to be impacted.
Post time: Aug-21-2026
