Mexico's sweeping new tariffs on imports from mostly Asian countries are ​set to take effect on Thursday, in a ‌move that will largely align Mexico with the U.S. as the neighboring countries ‌place significant barriers on Chinese imports, Reuters reported. Approved by Congress in early December, the measure raises tariffs - most up to 35% - on countries without free trade agreements with Mexico, including China, India, South ⁠Korea, Thailand and Indonesia. ‌China is expected to bear the greatest impact.

When President Trump began raising tariffs earlier this year, government officials and economists feared Mexico’s export-led economy would take a devastating hit. Instead, Mexican exports to the U.S. have grown, the Wall Street Journal reported. Because Mexico’s ultimate tariff rate ended up lower than for most other countries, the disparity has helped Mexican exports fill some of the gap left by Chinese products subject to higher levies. Producers seeking a foothold in the U.S.

Brazilian airline Azul SA is the latest in a string of overseas carriers turning to chapter 11 in the US, becoming “bankruptcy tourists” to access legal protections largely out of reach in their home countries, according to a Bloomberg Law commentary. Azul’s bankruptcy plan, approved this month, slashes more than $2 billion in debt and allows it to reject aircraft leases it couldn’t easily shed at home. Other foreign carriers seeking chapter 11 in the US over the past five years include Avianca, LATAM, Grupo Aeroméxico, and, more recently, Brazil’s Gol Linhas Aéreas.

Mexico’s automotive industry posted sharp declines across cars, light trucks and heavy-duty commercial vehicles in November, as road blockades, labor stoppages and softer global demand disrupted factory operations and slowed exports, Freight Waves reported. The country’s heavy-vehicle manufacturers — tractor-trailers, trucks and buses — recorded significant declines in November, according to data from Mexico’s National Association of Bus, Truck and Tractor Producers (Anpact).

Mexico's decision to raise tariffs as high as 50% will affect $1 billion worth of shipments from major Indian car exporters, including Volkswagen and Hyundai, despite industry lobbying to persuade New Delhi to prevent such a move, according to two sources and a letter from an industry group reviewed by Reuters. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum's government approved on Wednesday raising import tariffs next year on hundreds of items from countries it does not have trade agreements with, including China and India, to protect local jobs and manufacturing. But the move also comes amid U.S.

President Donald Trump threatened to impose an additional 5% tariff on imports from Mexico if the country did not release water that his administration says must be allowed to flow under a treaty, escalating a fight with a major trading partner, Bloomberg News reported. “I have authorized documentation to impose a 5% Tariff on Mexico if this water isn’t released, IMMEDIATELY,” Trump posted Monday on social media. “The longer Mexico takes to release the water, the more our Farmers are hurt.

Mexican lawmakers are slated to begin debate this week on a bill to raise tariffs on goods from China and other Asian countries, three ruling party lawmakers told Reuters, amid fierce opposition from China and Mexican business groups. The proposal would raise tariffs by up to 50% on imports of automobiles, textiles, clothing, plastics, steel and other products from China and other Asian countries that do not currently have a trade pact with Mexico, including India, South Korea, Thailand, and Indonesia.

Apollo-backed Grupo Aeromexico's shares rose in their New York Stock Exchange debut on Thursday, valuing the Mexican airline at nearly $2.8 billion almost four years after emerging from bankruptcy, Reuters reported. The company's stock opened at $19.16 apiece, just above the $19 issue price. Aeromexico and some of its existing shareholders sold 11.7 million American Depositary Shares (ADS) in an initial public offering on Thursday at the midpoint of its marketed range of $18 to $20, raising $222.8 million.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Monday she spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday and that the two countries will extend a trade deadline for "a few more weeks" to discuss pending issues with Washington, Reuters reported. The U.S. agreed in July to pause for 90 days an increase in tariffs on some Mexican goods to 30% pause to continue talks over that period with the goal of signing a new trade deal.