Mexico proposes increasing regional value-added content in North American exports

Mexico, the United States, and Canada are developing a gradual plan to substitute imports from Asia and other regions with North American-made components. The initiative aims to increase the regional value-added content of certain exports to as much as 40%.

Luis Rosendo Gutiérrez, Mexico’s Undersecretary of Foreign Trade, explained that the strategy is part of the discussions surrounding the review of the USMCA (T-MEC). The goal is to transition from a traditional assembly model—where components are imported from third countries, assembled locally, and exported—to a structure with higher regional integration. This effort is linked to the ‘Plan México,’ an industrial project intended to position the Mexican economy among the world's top ten through increased productive integration with North American partners.

The electronics sector was cited as a primary example of the current gap. While Mexican electronics exports to the United States are growing by approximately 60% annually, the value added generated within Mexico currently stands between only 7% and 8%. The proposed target is to progressively raise this proportion to between 20% and 40%. The plan includes commercial protection mechanisms to foster new productive capacities and leverages the shift in international trade toward national security and manufacturing relocation.