Beijing opens formal probe into Mexico's planned Asia tariffs

Beijing on Thursday opened a formal investigation into whether Mexico’s planned import tariffs on a wide range of Asian goods constitute illegal trade and investment barriers, stepping into a rapidly intensifying dispute over protectionist measures that Mexico says are intended to shield domestic factories from mounting competitive pressure. The probe follows Mexico’s announcement that it would levy duties as high as 50 percent on more than 1,400 products from Asia, including textiles, cars, steel and home appliances.

The Commerce Ministry said the measures would harm the interests of affected countries and undermine investor confidence in Mexico. "Against the backdrop of the current U.S. abuse of tariffs, all countries should jointly oppose all forms of unilateralism and protectionism and must not sacrifice the interests of third parties because of coercion," the ministry said in a statement posted Thursday, announcing both the tariff probe and a separate antidumping investigation into pecans imported from Mexico and the United States.

Mexican officials have defended the tariffs as a response to competitive pressures, including steep duties the United States has imposed on...