Ecuador’s conservative president said Monday that he is raising tariffs on Mexican imports in a move that echoes the trade barriers that U.S. President Donald Trump announced — but then paused — against Mexico.
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa said Monday that the 27% tariff to be applied on Mexican goods was aimed at boosting local manufacturers. But the conservative leader may also be seeking favor with Washington, where the Trump administration said Saturday it would impose its own 25% tariffs on Mexico.
Trump and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced Monday that the tariffs would be halted for now to give the two sides more time to negotiate. Trump has demanded that Mexico do more to crack down on illegal immigration and fentanyl smuggling across the border.
Noboa, who took time away from a re-election campaign to attend Trump’s inauguration last month in Washington, has hailed Trump’s win as a victory for Latin America.
Ecuador’s announcement comes amid the South American country’s separate and bitter diplomatic dispute with Mexico, which last year severed diplomatic ties after Ecuadorian police broke into the Mexican Embassy to arrest Ecuador’s former Vice President Jorge Glas.
Ecuador’s move was widely condemned as a breach of international law, while Ecuador said that Glas was wanted for fraud and not for political reasons and accused Mexico of illegitimately granting him political asylum at the diplomatic compound.
Trade between the two countries is minimal, however, accounting for less than 1% of Mexico’s total exports, according to Mexican central bank data.
Noboa, heir to a banana fortune, is running Sunday in elections for his first complete constitutional term after being elected 18 months ago to finish the aborted mandate of ex-President Guillermo Lasso.