Mexico responds to US tariff announcement with proposal for collaboration

Mexico City [Mexico], February 2 (ANI): Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo has rejected US President Donald Trump's accusations of Mexico's alleged alliances with criminal organizations. She emphasised Mexico's commitment to combating crime and drug trafficking, highlighting the need for cooperation between neighbouring countries.
Sheinbaum emphasised the importance of collaboration between neighbouring countries, stating, "Mexico does not want confrontation. We start with collaboration between neighbouring countries. Mexico not only does not want fentanyl to reach the United States but anywhere."
This comes after US President Donald Trump announced a 25 per cent tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico, as well as a 10 per cent tariff on goods from China, citing concerns over illegal immigration and the smuggling of drugs, including fentanyl.
Pardo strongly rejected the White House accusations, stating, "Problems are not resolved by imposing tariffs."
Highlighting the need for joint efforts to combat criminal groups involved in drug trafficking, she affirmed, "If the United States wants to combat criminal groups that traffic drugs and generate violence, we must work together in an integrated manner, but always under the principles of shared responsibility, mutual trust, collaboration and, above all, respect for sovereignty, which is not negotiable. Coordination, yes; subordination, no."
She proposed creating a working group with top public health and security teams from both countries to address shared concerns.
"To this end, I propose to President Trump that we establish a working group with our best public health and security teams. Problems are not resolved by imposing tariffs, but by talking and dialoguing, as we did in recent weeks with your State Department to address the phenomenon of migration; in our case, with respect for human rights," she said.
Mexico's team had been in constant communication with the US to address migration concerns.
"The graph that President Trump has been posting on social media about the decline in migration was created by my team, which has been in constant communication with his," said the President.
"I instruct the Secretary of Economy to implement Plan B that we have been working on, which includes tariff and non-tariff measures in defence of Mexico's interests. Nothing by force; everything by reason and right," she added.
Sheinbaum showcased Mexico's efforts to combat drug trafficking, citing the seizure of over 40 tons of drugs and the arrest of thousands linked to criminal groups. She emphasized that problems cannot be resolved through tariffs, but rather through dialogue and cooperation.
She stated "We categorically reject the White House's slander against the Mexican government for having alliances with criminal organizations, as well as any intention of intervention in our territory. If such an alliance exists anywhere, it is in the United States armouries that sell high-powered weapons to these criminal groups, as demonstrated by the United States Department of Justice itself in January of this year."
"In four months, our government has seized more than 40 tons of drugs, including 20 million doses of fentanyl. It has also arrested more than ten thousand people linked to these groups," she added.
Earlier in the day, US President Donald Trump announced on his social media platform Truth Social that he had imposed a 25 per cent tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico, as well as a 10 per cent tariff on goods from China, citing concerns over illegal immigration and drug smuggling, including fentanyl.
The US President has taken action under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), emphasizing the need to protect Americans and fulfil a campaign promise.
Trump stated that the tariffs were implemented to protect US citizens from the threats posed by illegal immigration and drug trafficking. (ANI)