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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.
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