Trade war

The trade war and the automotive industry

Vie, 05/16/2025 - 16:33 -- jdiaz

On 29 April 2025, the Bureau of Economic Activity published that in the first quarter of the year, the US economy contracted by 0.3% as a result of the new tariffs. On the same date, the White House decided to relax tariff measures on the auto industry. The problem is that trade flows and global auto production are not overwhelmingly American. The advantages of the T-MEC and imports from Asia, both more than three decades old, cannot be reversed in a couple of years

Argentina, Brazil and Mexico's response to the US trade war

Vie, 05/09/2025 - 16:07 -- jdiaz

On 2 April 2025, President Trump announced his policy of reciprocal tariffs. The term “reciprocal” implies others have tariffs against US goods, which is mistaken and misleading. Its fiscal problem is home made. Non the less, he imposed a universal base tariff of 10%, including on products within free trade agreements (such as the one with Chile and Peru), and imposed higher rates on some countries, such as China. Although the US Government paused the entry into force of the latter for 90 days -some time in May- the region's main economies have reacted. This article will discuss the different measures taken by Brazil, Argentina and Mexico.

The trade war and the U.S. steel industry

Jue, 04/10/2025 - 16:15 -- jdiaz

In 2024, the US announced a general increase from 7% to 25% and 100% for electric vehicles (EVs). It was followed by Canada, which imposed 100% tariffs on EVs, and Mexico, which eliminated EV exemptions and imposed a 25% tariff on steel. Subsequently, on April 3, 2025, Trump announced reciprocal tariffs on all countries, with a 10% base plus an additional country-specific percentage. This led to an escalation with China, for whom they have been set at over 100%. In this article, we will review the consequences of the trade war on the North American steel industry.

Electric cars, Latin America, and the Great Power Competition

Vie, 02/07/2025 - 12:12 -- jdiaz

In 2024, it became clear that the West had lost the competition in electromobility to the East. American flagship companies such as Ford or GM are lagging in producing electric cars (EVs). Tesla, which until 2022 was the leading supplier of pure EVs, has been overtaken by Chinese manufacturer BYD since 2023 while facing difficulties in its sales, profit margins and supply chain intertwined with Asia. On the other side of the Atlantic, Germany's Volkswagen also showed that it could not compete with Asian companies by announcing the closure of two factories in its territory (an unprecedented move), which Chinese companies could take over. In Asia, Japanese companies can compete, especially Toyota, which leads in the production of hybrid EVs. Nissan and Honda announced plans to merge, in December 2024, and take on the Red Dragon cars. Although the deal with Nissan did not go through, the company is continuing with its restructuring plans. In this article, we will review what this means for Latin America as it transitions towards electromobility in the context of the trade war launched by Washington.

What happened in 2024?

Vie, 01/10/2025 - 18:48 -- gramirez

In the year of the Dragon 2024, there were two major technological business problems that shook the world. On the one hand, a Boeing vehicle flew into the international station and could not return, and on the other, Volkswagen announced the closure of two very large factories. These are symptoms of the technological and productivity problem in the West and its inability to compete with the East, beyond China. It was a year in which the economies of Asia grew again at rates above 5% and those of Latin America and Europe at less than 2%, with the US at a similar rate. The fiscal deficits of the G7 economies maintained their high trend and the public debts of these economies continue to rise above 100% of GDP, with no signs of reducing. The US is projected to continue to increase, while its GDP grows very moderately and with a massive external deficit despite neo-protectionism.

Mexico, amidst the trade war between the great powers

Mié, 12/11/2024 - 15:54 -- jdiaz

Mexico is the second-largest economy in Latin America. It has a deep-rooted relationship with the United States through the T-MEC, now affected by the U.S. announcement of unilateral tariffs. It benefits from preferential access to the U.S. market, which has allowed it to export manufactured goods, automobiles, and agricultural products at the cost of importing all the inputs from China to export these products to the North. In the context of the trade war between Washington and the Red Dragon, the tariffs against Mexico prevent Chinese brand products manufactured in the country from entering its market without tariffs. The Aztec country has sought to diversify its relations by exploring trade agreements with other countries and strengthening Asian investment in strategic sectors for domestic purposes. Given the growing importance of the Asian giant in the country, Washington has pressured its southern neighbour to take measures against China, both in terms of tariffs and investment restrictions, considering them a possible risk to U.S. national security. Such policies limit Mexican growth and productive diversification. This article analyses the presence of the Asian giant in trade and investments in the Aztec country and the limits to this relationship due to its alignment with its northern neighbour.

Argentina, the Chinese swap and power competition.

Dom, 09/01/2024 - 18:14 -- gramirez

In the early 1970s, Argentina joined a group of Latin American countries, including Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Venezuela, that initiated diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. The change of course in Argentine foreign policy, which until then had exclusively recognised Taiwan, marked the beginning of a new era in bilateral relations and regionalised a process of opening up to Asia.

THE US AND IMPORT-SUBSTITUTION INDUSTRIALISATION IN GREAT-POWER COMPETITION

Jue, 07/11/2024 - 21:14 -- jdiaz

Evidence shows that the US needs to catch up with China regarding technology. A list by Professor Allison of Harvard University in a book published by the Aspen Institute in 2020 shows seven sectors lagging. In January 2024, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute published a report detailing the lag in 9 sectors and 64 sub-sectors. In response, President Trump's administration placed tariffs on products of Chinese origin starting from March 2018. President Biden extended it and designed an import substitution policy to catch up with the leader.

PROTECTIONISM OR GREAT POWER COMPETITION?

Jue, 07/04/2024 - 21:05 -- jdiaz

The trade war between the US and China began in March 2018 and intensified with new semiconductor tariffs in 2024. The US has pressured Mexico to reduce its ties with China and strengthen them with North America, as it did with the signing of the T-MEC. The renegotiation of T-MEC in 2026 will introduce new conditions. The pressure turned to applying tariffs on 99 per cent of Chinese imports. This article will analyse Mexico's position in the trade war between the two great powers.

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