Mexico considering import tax on Chinese shoes, president says
- Mexico’s president said balance had to be struck between affordable shoes and protecting local production
- It was unclear yet if import duties could apply specifically to footwear made in China, or to materials used to make shoes
Mexican Economy Minister Raquel Buenrostro “is thinking about [applying] import duties,” Lopez Obrador told reporters at a government press conference.
The president said he told Buenrostro “to analyse the situation carefully” because a balance had to be struck between affordable shoe prices and protecting local production.
Lopez Obrador did not specify whether import duties could apply specifically to footwear made in China, the world’s largest shoe manufacturer, or to materials used to make shoes.
Mexico’s economy ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Shoemakers in the central state of Guanajuato in recent days have asked for government support due to a hit they have taken from low-cost shoes from China flooding the market, a journalist told the president during the news conference.
“Everything you’re saying is real,” Lopez Obrador said.
