American companies such as General Motors are also among the largest importers of Chinese products to Mexico. One in five cars sold domestically is now made in China – such as the famous General Motors car Chevrolet Aveo.
But given the economic threat to the US auto industry and the potential security risks posed by connected vehicles from China, the biggest fear in the US is that Chinese electric vehicle makers like BYD and Chery settle in Mexico and sell larger quantities or even try to export. . Although they scouted the states for locations, no factory was found Announce yet.
“That's why this caught President Trump's attention on the campaign trail.” Pfeiffer says.
The United States could view the presence of cars and other Chinese companies more broadly – including telecommunications company Huawei – as a problem. He says.
“(If) you have a large percentage of Mexicans or Americans living in Mexico driving Chinese connected cars, that will eventually become a major concern for the United States.” He said.
“Many of the concerns the United States has raised about Huawei will go some way in the future if large parts of Mexico’s future tech economy are dominated by Chinese connected devices.”
Mexico is preparing for volatility as Trump's second term approaches.
The US president-elect developed an unexpected relationship with Sheinbaum's populist predecessor, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, with whom he shared a transactional approach. To politics.
But an unexpected additional challenge came from normally friendly Canada. Prime Minister Trudeau and other politicians have indicated they are open to expelling Mexico from the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement over concerns About China.
Canada's comments surprised Mexicans, but Trudeau and his colleagues are also thinking about their auto parts sector ahead of the election. In 2025.
Sheinbaum initially responded coolly to Trump's tariff threat. Since then, the two leaders have spoken, committed to continuing policies that prevent migrants from reaching the border and discussed repairing damaged security cooperation.
She has been clear that the United States is a priority, but she met with both President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping at the G20 this year, signaling her desire to continue working. With both.
Trump described his position Contacting Sheinbaum, he described it as “awesome.”But the president-elect has yet to back down from his threat to impose 25 percent tariffs and review the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) in 2026. Looming on the horizon.
Mexico is “sending the right messages, and I don’t know if that will be enough for Donald Trump,” says Baker of Ansley Consulting. “We're going to have to do this for a long time.”
Back in the semi-arid Coahuila desert, thousands of workers on assembly lines continue to produce pickup trucks and vans for export to the United States. But uncertainty surrounding bilateral relations hangs over Alianza and other industrial spaces Via Mexico.
“After the pandemic, with the expansion around the corner, there was a huge surge in visits, and in customers looking to set up,” says Alianza's Cantu. “Certainly today there is a calm and pause in the market as many of them are evaluating what will happen with the policies or geopolitics of the United States and Asia.”
