China’s $8.5 Billion in Steel Spurs Latin America Toward Tariffs

One after another, Latin American nations are following in the footsteps of the US and Europe by imposing prohibitive tariffs on Chinese imports — a strain in what’s been an otherwise cozy relationship.

Mexico, Chile and Brazil have hiked — and in some cases more than doubled — duties on steel products from China over the past several weeks. Colombia may be about to follow suit.

A crane loads excavators for export to Brazil onto the “Yantai - Brazil” cargo liner at the port of Yantai, Shandong Province, China, on March 19, 2024.

Source :Costfoto/NurPhoto/Getty Images

The levies may seem out of turn, given how the Asian superpower has entrenched itself in Latin America in recent years. China has become the biggest buyer of raw materials from the region ...