China announced that it had the right to retaliate against Mexico's barriers to Chinese goods and investments, although it has not announced any countermeasures, El Economista reported on March 25. On Jan. 1, Mexico City enacted tariffs of up to 50% on more than 1,400 goods from countries with which it does not have a trade agreement, including China.

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce stated that the increased import duties Mexico imposed on more than $30 billion worth of Chinese exports to Mexico could result in losses ​of about $9.4 billion to China's mechanical and electrical sectors, as vehicles and auto parts, metals, chemicals, ​textiles ⁠and light industrial products are among the main sectors affected. As of February, import volumes from China had fallen by 5% at the Manzanillo port and by 17% at the Lazaro Cardenas port year on year. Mexico's protectionist measures came amid U.S. pressure to prevent Chinese goods from using Mexico as a backdoor to enter the U.S. market.