Ecuador to impose 27% tariffs on Mexican imports

ECUADOR - The President of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, announced the imposition of a 27% tax on products imported from Mexico, a measure that took the commercial sectors of both countries by surprise.

According to the president, the decision “ratifies” the position of his government to move towards the signing of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Mexico, although under conditions that, in his opinion, protect Ecuador from “abuses”.

The statement, made through his account in X, was accompanied by an image of the non-oil trade balance, which in 2024 registered a deficit of US$218 million. The New Ecuador has always been open to trade integration, but not when there is abuse”, wrote Noboa.

This announcement takes place in a delicate international context, marked by economic tensions between Mexico and the United States, whose relationship is going through a period of uncertainty after the recent inauguration of Donald Trump.

This Monday, Trump temporarily suspended a similar 25% tax on Mexican products, following a conversation with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.

The decision comes in the context of an even more complex situation: the diplomatic rupture between Mexico and Ecuador, after the assault on the Mexican embassy in Quito in April 2024, when Noboa authorized the incursion of public forces into the diplomatic legation to arrest former Vice President Jorge Glas, who was in asylum.