Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum has appeared to contradict President-elect Donald Trump’s claim that the two have struck a deal to stop migration to the US border.
After a phone call on Wednesday, Trump posted online: “She has agreed to stop Migration through Mexico, and into the United States, effectively closing our Southern Border.”
Sheinbaum responded quickly that she had reiterated Mexico’s position was not to close borders, but to address migration while respecting human rights.
On Monday, Trump alarmed US trading partners as he vowed upon taking office in January to slap an across-the-board tariff of 25% on Mexico and Canada, and a 10% tariff on China.
He said the import duties on Mexico and Canada would only be removed once illegal immigration and drug trafficking to the US had stopped.
He said China would be subject to tariffs until it cracked down on smuggling of the drug fentanyl.
Sheinbaum vowed earlier on Wednesday to retaliate if the US triggered a trade war.
“If there are US tariffs, Mexico would also raise tariffs,” she told a press conference.
She was joined by Mexican Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard, who urged more regional co-operation.
“It’s a shot in the foot,” Ebrard said of Trump’s proposed duties, which appear to breach the USMCA trade deal that Trump himself struck in 2018 during his first presidency between the US, Mexico and Canada.
