Mexico files WTO complaint over US tariffs
June 8, 2018
Mexico has filed a complaint at the World Trade Organization (WTO) over controversial US tariffs on steel and aluminum, the global trading body said on Thursday.
In its complaint, Mexico argues that the United States' 25 percent tariff on steel imports and 10 percent tariff on aluminum imports violate the 1994 General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).
Read more: EU set to implement retaliatory tariffs from July
The US had exempted Mexico along with Canada and the European Union from the tariffs when they entered force in March. But US President Donald Trump lifted those exemptions in early June, sparking furious reactions on both sides of the Atlantic.
Canada and the EU have already filed their own WTO complaints against the tariffs and said they will introduce retaliatory tariffs on US products.
Read more: G7 countries criticize US over steel tariffs
Mexico announced on Tuesday it would introduce retaliatory duties ranging between 15 and 25 percent on a range of US products, including pork, cheese and grapes. Many of the duties target products produced in regions with high levels of support for US President Donald Trump.
The spat over the US steel and aluminum tariffs has also overshadowed contentious talks between Mexico, the US and Canada over revamping the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Trump has called it a "disaster" and said he would like to replace it with separate bilateral trade deals with both countries.
Read more: As US tariffs go into effect, Europe, Canada and Mexico strike back