The president of Ecuador announces 27 % tariffs for imports from Mexico

The president of Ecuador, Daniel Noboaannounced on Monday that its administration will impose a 27 % tariff to all the products that matters from Mexico As long as a free trade agreement is signed between the two countries, at a time when diplomatic relations remain broken after the assault on the Mexican embassy in Quito to stop former Correístor Vice President Jorge Glas.

(Also read: Claudia Sheinbaum and Donald Trump agreed to pause the tariffs to Mexico for a month).

Through a message on social networks, Noboa reaffirmed his intention to sign a free trade agreement with Mexico but justified the tariff announced by considering that the current non -oil commercial exchange between the two countries configures an “abuse” for the Andean country, which Record a negative balance (it matters more than export).

The tariff measure announced by the Ecuadorian ruler is given a few days after his American counterpart, Donald Trumpimposed 25 % tariffs on Mexico and Canada, a country with which Ecuador has just completed negotiations to sign a bilateral commercial agreement.

Ecuador and Mexico were very close to subscribing in 2022 a free trade agreement, but the negotiations were trapped before the negative of the Mexican government to release the shrimp (shrimp) and the banana, two of the star products of the export basket of the export basket of the export basket of the export basket Andean country

(Read also: China rejects the United States decision to impose additional 10% tariff).

This circumstance closed the doors of Ecuador to enter the Pacific Alliance, the regional integration mechanism that form Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, and of which he sought to be part.

“We ratify our position of signing a free trade agreement with Mexico. But, until that happens and is a reality, we will apply a 27 % tariff to the products we import, with the aim of promoting our industry and that there is a Fair treatment of our producers, “Noboa said in his message.

The head of state of Ecuador accompanied his message with a chart of the commercial balance of Ecuador with Mexico from 2021 to the present, where negative values ​​of between 218 and 588 million dollars are annually.

In 2024, Ecuador made non -oil imports worth at least 551 million dollars between January and November, while Ecuadorian exports to the Mexican market for the same concept had a value of 333 million dollars, which threw a Negative result for the Andean country of 218 million dollars, according to the latest foreign trade bulletin published by the Government.

Among the products most imported by Ecuador from Mexico are medicines, worth $ 66 million in 2024, light cars, with 40 million dollars; and appliances, with 38 million dollars.

The remaining 407 million dollars were for imports from other products such as shampoos, hygiene items, computers, flour preparations, pipes and alcoholic substance to make drinks.

The announcement of the economic sanction to the imports of Mexico reaches the beginning of the election week in Ecuador, where the current president seeks his re -election in the vote convened for this Sunday, February 9, in which he faces 15 other candidates, among Those who highlights as its greatest rival the aspiring correism, Luisa González.

Ecuador and Mexico broke their diplomatic relations in April 2024, after the police assault ordered by Noboa to the Mexican embassy in Quito to detain Glas, after he had received diplomatic asylum from the government of former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador when declaring a pursued politic to the convictions and processes for corruption that the Correísta maintains in Ecuador.

The diplomatic crisis also resulted in litigation in the International Court of Justice of The Hague with mutual accusations of having contravened agreements that govern international law.

Mexico accuses Ecuador to skip the inviolability of diplomatic headquarters, and Ecuador argues that Mexico misused the treaty that governs diplomatic asylums.