×
App Icon
The Standard e-Paper
Truth Without Fear
★★★★ - on Play Store
Download Now

Mexico unseats China as top importer to US

Vocalize Pre-Player Loader

Audio By Vocalize

A worker stacks boxes of bananas for export in Ciudad Hidalgo, Chiapas state, Mexico, May 31, 2019. Data released by the U.S. Commerce Department this week show that goods imported from Mexico accounted for 15% of U.S. imports in the first 11 months of 2023. [AP Photo]

After 17 years as the top source of imported goods in the United States, China will likely move into second place for 2023, ceding the first position to Mexico, according to data released by the U.S. Commerce Department this week.

The shift is the result of a yearslong trend that has seen a gradual decline in China's share of the U.S. import market, driven primarily by continued U.S. tariffs on a broad array of Chinese goods. However, other contributing factors include a broader reshuffling of global supply chains in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and a push by the U.S. to diversify sources of important imports away from China and toward geopolitical allies, a process sometimes known as "friendshoring."

Premium Article

Get Full Access for Ksh299/Week.

Fact-first reporting that puts you at the heart of the newsroom. Subscribe for full access.
Continue Reading  →
What you get
  • Unlimited access to all premium content
  • Ad-free browsing experience
  • Mobile-optimised reading
  • Weekly newsletters & digests
Pay via
M - PESA
VISA
Airtel Money
Secure Payments Kenya's most trusted newsroom since 1902
Sports
Wangaya lands April's Player of the Month
By Ben Ahenda 3 hrs ago
Boxing
Why every boxer wants to go to Nakuru
By AFP 4 hrs ago
Premier League
Man City must put pressure on Arsenal, says Guardiola
Sports
Kenya ready to host African Taekwondo Championship