Washington seeks to reduce tariffs, improve the T-MEC and balance with China

Washington., The office of the United States Trade Representative announced that this year it will seek to further reduce tariffs and non-tariff barriers from other countries, implement “reciprocal” trade agreements and initiate more investigations into unfair trade practices.

These promises are part of the Donald Trump administration’s 2026 Trade Policy Agenda, released more than a week after the Supreme Court struck down tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

The document highlights that it is intended to correct the deficiencies of the trade agreement between the United States, Mexico and Canada (T-MEC), which will include rules of origin, investments from non-market economies and excess industrial capacity.

In addition, the Trump administration sees limited opportunities for reform of the World Trade Organization (WTO), and will insist that most-favored-nation tariffs be revalued to reach bilateral agreements.

Likewise, it will try to manage bilateral trade with China, in order to achieve equity, supervising that Beijing complies with the trade truce reached in 2025.

It will also work to reach new trade pacts with its partners and finalize framework agreements with the European Union, India, Japan, North Macedonia, South Korea, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Thailand and Vietnam, in addition to finalizing agreements with Argentina, Bangladesh, Cambodia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Indonesia, Malaysia and Taiwan, enforcing all its agreements through current trade laws.