La Jornada: Mexico achieves record exports to the US during April

In April 2026, Mexico’s exports to the United States reached an unprecedented level for a single month: 50,691 million dollars, maintaining it as the main trading partner of the largest economic power.

According to data from the Census Bureau of the US Department of Commerce, it represents an increase of 20 percent compared to $41,845 million in the same month of 2025.

The new record occurs in a context in which our country faces tariffs in key sectors, such as cars, steel and tomatoes, in addition to a long period of uncertainty derived from the review of the Mexico, United States and Canada Agreement (T-MEC), agreed for next July 1. The Secretary of Economy, Marcelo Ebrard, attributed this performance to the tariff position that Mexico maintains compared to its competitors. He explained that while this country pays a rate of around 3.6 percent to enter the US market, its main commercial rivals face considerably higher taxes.

“We are in the best relative position. I have tried to comment on this in several forums. That is the explanation why exports are rising. If we were not there, they would not rise,” said the official yesterday during his participation in the Mexico VC Day 2026 forum, organized by the Mexican Association of Private Capital (Amexcap).

He highlighted that export data show that the volume and value of exports from Mexico to the United States is growing in a scenario of accelerated change, which is marked by greater protectionism and tariffs.

Last April, Mexico purchased goods from the United States for 35.3 billion dollars, resulting in bilateral trade of 86 billion, which represented 16.6 percent of total US trade, which was 387.5 billion dollars.

Canada was ranked as the second partner of the United States with a trade exchange in April of 64.8 billion dollars, while Taiwan was placed in third place for the second consecutive month with 29.6 billion dollars. China, which fell to fourth place, accounted for 29.2 billion.

From January to April 2026, Mexican companies exported to the United States a record amount of 188.7 billion dollars, whose annual increase is 8.9 percent compared to the 173.2 billion dollars in the same period of 2025.

Regarding imports from that country, the amount stood at 128.6 billion dollars in the first four months of the year, with which the commercial exchange of both nations stood at 317.3 billion dollars, a figure that represented 16.4 percent of the 437 billion that American companies traded with the entire world in said period.

Mexico is also the United States’ largest trading partner for the year; Canada follows, with 240.9 billion dollars, equivalent to 12.4 percent of US trade.

China took third place with 117.4 billion (6.1 percent) and then there is Taiwan, with 111.5 billion dollars, representing 5.8 percent of the United States’ global trade, according to official data.