Marcelo Ebrard, Mexico‘s Secretary of Economy, announced that he will propose to his U.S. counterpart, Howard Lutnick (yet to be ratified), that the governments of both countries promote the growth of productive integration between Mexico and the United States.

In a press conference at the National Palace, together with President Claudia Sheinbaum, Ebrard indicated that his first meeting with Lutnick will probably be next week, once ratified by the U.S. Congress.

Ebrard said that production sharing between Mexico, the United States and Canada has made it possible to produce globally competitive goods.

“If you separate that, it’s going to raise your cost and then you’re going to lose competitiveness,” Ebrard responded to a question. “In other words, it is in the strategic interest of the United States that this integration not only be maintained, but grow in the coming years.”

Productive integration

Ebrard noted that he is also awaiting the ratification of Jamieson Greer as head of the United States Trade Representation (USTR) to begin working together.

“I am going to make that reasoning, I am going to present the arguments and I am going to speak in good measure also on behalf of the companies and this whole conglomerate, which are millions of workers in Mexico and in the United States, workers, families, companies, technology,” he added.

Ebrard stressed that the core point is that the competitiveness of the U.S. economy depends, to a large extent, on the plants they have and the industrial complex in Mexico. 

As an example, he said that in a meeting with CEOs of the world’s largest companies, Ebrard asked Ford‘s CEO his opinion on the possibility of relocating plants from Mexico to the United States.

China

Ebrard said that his response was that Ford’s most productive plant in the world is in Cuautitlán Izcalli, in the State of Mexico, where the Ford Mustang-E is manufactured, which is the one that competes with vehicles from China and other brands, not only from China.

This car is exported from there to countries such as Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Germany, four of the most demanding markets in the world.

In addition, Ford’s CEO told Ebrard that Ford’s second most competitive plant is in Hermosillo, Sonora.

“And so on and so forth I could give you many, many examples of how integration has allowed us to have in the final product, which is the vehicle in this case, or also in the turbines of airplanes. All airplanes have parts made in Mexico, in an increasing proportion,” he concluded.