As U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports continue, China increasingly uses Mexico as a manufacturing and transit hub to avoid trade penalties and maintain access to American markets.

For the first time in more than two decades, Mexico overtook China as the largest importer of goods to the U.S.

Mexican goods imported to the U.S. totaled $475 billion in 2023, about $20 billion higher than the previous year. This trend is fueled by simmering trade tensions between Beijing and Washington, an effort to bring U.S. imports closer to home, and a burgeoning Mexican manufacturing base. But there’s another factor at play. To avoid American tariffs, Chinese companies are using Mexico as a backdoor to the U.S. So how can China circumvent U.S. tariffs, and what are logistic companies doing to prepare for the upcoming boom in Mexican trade?

CNBC traveled to Mexico City and El Paso to find out.

Chapters:

• 0:00 - 3:05 Introduction
• 3:06 - 6:55 Chapter 1 Evading U.S. tariffs
• 6:56 - 10:51 Chapter 2 Mexico’s manufacturing boom
• 10:52 - 13:55 Chapter 3 Policing the border
• 13:56 - 16:06 Chapter 4 Bringing goods to the U.S.
• 16:07 - 19:08 Chapter 5 Maersk, DHL and Uber Freight

Understand the Future of Global Trade & Supply Chain Strategy

As China reroutes goods through Mexico to bypass U.S. tariffs, this shift underscores the urgency for supply chain transparency, geopolitical risk assessment, and localized, circular manufacturing models.

Klean Industries Offers:

✅ Supply chain due diligence tools via KleanLoop™
✅ Resilient, circular manufacturing solutions
✅ ESG-aligned strategies for risk mitigation
✅ Global project experience across trade-sensitive sectors

Contact Klean Industries to explore supply chain innovation, sustainability reporting, and next-generation trade compliance platforms » GO.