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India has proposed a preferential trade agreement (PTA) with Mexico to help domestic exporters deal with the steep tariffs announced by the South American country, a top government official said on Monday. Mexico has decided to impose steep import tariffs - ranging from about 5 per cent to as high as 50 per cent on a wide range of goods (about 1,463 tariff lines) from countries that do not have free trade agreements with Mexico, including India, China, South Korea, Thailand and Indonesia. Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said that India has engaged with the country on the issue. "Technical level talks are on...The only fast way forward is to try to get a preferential trade agreement (PTA) because an FTA (free trade agreement) will take a lot of time. So we are trying to see what can be a good way forward," he told reporters here. While in an FTA two trading partners either significantly reduce or eliminate import duties on maximum number of goods traded between them, in a PTA, dut
Domestic auto component manufacturers will face enhanced cost pressures with Mexico hiking duties on Indian imports, according to industry body ACMA. Auto parts exports to Mexico in FY25 stood at USD 834 million, and in the first half of the current fiscal, the shipments stood at USD 370 million. "Mexico's revised import duties on non-FTA partners, including India, could add cost pressures for our exporters," the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) Director General Vinnie Mehta told PTI. ACMA remains hopeful that ongoing bilateral dialogue between the two governments will ensure stability and continuity in the growing automotive trade, he added. India's auto component exports to Mexico largely comprise powertrain and driveline parts, precision forgings, chassis and brake systems, and key electrical and aftermarket products. There is a strong demand, especially for forgings and precision-machined components. Mexico's Senate approved the new tariff measure
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday held "productive" discussions with his Mexican counterpart Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon with a focus on bilateral cooperation in areas of trade, investment and health. Casaubon is on a three-day visit to India. "Warm and productive discussions with Mexican FM @m_ebrard today evening. Discussed our growing trade and investment, health, science & technology and space sector cooperation," Jaishankar tweeted. Currently, Mexico is India's second-largest trade partner in Latin America and it is a member of the UN Security Council alongside India for the period 2021-22. The visit by the Mexican foreign minister to India follows Jaishankar's visit to Mexico City in September last year.