Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has instructed the country’s Economy Ministry to prepare all possible measures in response to the US imposition of import duties on Mexican goods, calling the White House’s accusations against the Mexican government regarding its ties to criminal organizations slanderous.
“I am instructing the Minister of Economy to implement Plan B, which we are working on, which includes tariff and non-tariff measures to protect Mexico’s interests,” Sheinbaum wrote on social media platform X.
She also accused the United States of ineffectively combating the spread of fentanyl and supplying weapons to criminal groups in Mexico.
Sheinbaum suggested that Trump create a working group with the participation of the best experts in the field of public health and security, solving the problems “not through the introduction of tariffs, but through negotiations and dialogue.”
As reported, Trump is set to sign an executive order next week imposing 25% tariffs on goods imported from Mexico and Canada and 10% on goods imported from China. At the same time, duties on energy from Canada will be 10% and will affect the entire Canadian energy sector, including oil, gas, and electricity.
Canada will impose a 25% duty on $155 billion worth of imports from the United States in response to the US tariffs announced by US President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.
“In response to the US trade actions, Canada will impose a 25% duty on $155 billion worth of goods,” the prime minister said in a video message.
He explained that starting Tuesday of next week, the duties will affect $30 billion worth of goods, then $125 billion worth of goods within three weeks so that Canadian companies have time to find alternative partners.
The government and the leadership of the provinces and territories are also considering the possibility of imposing non-tariff restrictions on the United States regarding critical minerals, energy and other goods, Trudeau said.
US President Donald Trump has signed a decree imposing duties on goods from Canada, China and Mexico. The rates for products from Canada and Mexico will be up to 25%, and for Chinese goods – 10%.
Trump explained this decision by the need to combat illegal migration and drug smuggling.
Previously, the US, Canada, and Mexico had a free trade agreement, the USMCA, signed by Trump in his first term in office. The new duties could have a negative impact on the economies of Canada and Mexico, which could lose up to 2% of GDP. For the United States, the consequences will be less severe, with a 0.3% decline in GDP projected.
Canada and Mexico have already expressed disappointment with Washington’s decision. Ontario Premier Doug Ford said that Canada would be forced to respond with tough measures. Mexico, which is the largest trading partner of the United States, may also suffer significant losses, as more than 80% of its exports go to the United States.
The new duties will also affect German automotive companies such as Volkswagen, Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz, which use Mexico as a production base for supplies to the US market. Experts fear that Chinese manufacturers, faced with barriers in the US, will increase pressure on European markets, which could lead to price wars.
The United Steelworkers trade union called on the White House to reconsider the decision, emphasizing that the duties harm both Canada and the United States. At the same time, Canada is considering diversifying its trade ties to reduce its dependence on the United States.
Source: https://amp.dw.com/ru/prezident-ssa-vvel-posliny-na-tovary-iz-kanady-kitaa-i-meksiki/a-71484154
Export revenues of the Ukrainian IT sector last year amounted to $6.45 billion, which is 4.2% less than in 2023 and 12.3% less than in 2022, according to statistics from the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU).
The largest inflows in terms of this year were recorded in the fourth quarter – $1.67 billion, while for the same period in 2023 and 2022, this figure was $1.70 billion and $1.87 billion, respectively.
According to statistics, the United States of America was the most active importer of Ukrainian IT last year, with $2.39 billion worth of goods, although its share in the total volume decreased by 2.6 percentage points (p.p.) to 37.2%.
The second place was taken by the UK, which increased its share by 0.8 p.p. to 8.8% and imported $565 million worth of Ukrainian IT services.
It was followed by Malta, whose share among importers decreased by almost 0.7 percentage points to 7.8%: in 2024, the country purchased $565 million worth of IT services from Ukraine.
The top five countries in terms of consumption of Ukrainian IT exports are Cyprus and Israel, whose shares slightly increased in 2024 to 6.1% and 4.6%, respectively. Cyprus imported $394 million worth of Ukrainian IT, while Israel imported $297 million.
Last year, Nova Poshta, the leader of express shipments in Ukraine, doubled the number of processed shipments in Moldova to almost 4 million, the company’s press service reports.
“4 million delivered shipments, 695,000 customers and 28.6 million lei ($5.8 million) in taxes are the results of Nova Poshta’s work in Moldova in 2024,” the press service said in a statement on Friday.
It is reported that in 2024, the company showed growth in all operational and financial indicators, increasing tax payments by 87% compared to 2023.
The number of shipments in Moldova increased by 26% to 778 thousand. The number of international shipments quadrupled compared to 2023 to 3 million.
The top countries from which most parcels arrived in Moldova are China, the USA, Romania and Ukraine. The top stores from which Nova Poshta customers made orders are Temu, Joom, Aliexpress, iHerb, Zapatos and MakeUp.
The press service reminded that last year, Nova Poshta was the first in Moldova to offer its customers a new format of service points – delivery points and still remains the only postal operator that provides such a service in the country. Thanks to this service, it can quickly deliver parcels to the most remote corners of the country, even to settlements without post offices or postal facilities.
The operation of the delivery points creates additional convenience for customers, as the parcel can be picked up near their homes or on the way to the office in a cafe. In 2024, 600 thousand parcels were delivered through delivery points, according to Nova Poshta. In total, there are 61 delivery points in Moldova.
For cooperation with Nova Poshta in the format of delivery points, its local partners received 3.3 million lei ($668.6 thousand) from the company in 2024.
Nova Poshta’s presence with a network of post offices in Moldova covers 20 cities in the country, including Briceni, Edinet, Ungheni, Balti, Comrat, Cahul, Orhei, Taraclia, Chadyr Lunga, Ialoveni, Hincesti, Caşani, Stefan Voda, Falesti, Soroca, Guma, Nisporeni, Leova, Novi Aneni. A number of them are located in the stores of the largest supermarket chains – Kaufland, Linella, Merci and Local. In total, there are 260 post offices.
The number of Nova Poshta stationary offices in Moldova has reached 31. The number of sorting terminals is three.
“Nova Poshta” has set a goal to ensure the accessibility of customers in Moldova. It also seeks to increase the speed of processing shipments and customer convenience, the press service emphasized.
“Nova Poshta has become a part of the everyday life of the people of Moldova. In 2024, we invested 26.8 million lei ($5.8 million) in the development of logistics and our own network, and created 228 new jobs in the country. Our services were used by 695,000 customers, compared to 424,000 last year,” the press service quoted the CEO of Nova Poshta in Moldova, Sergey Shapran, as saying.
According to him, the company plans to continue expanding its network and range of services in 2025. In particular, Nova Poshta will open a new sorting hub in Chisinau, where business customers will be able to use fulfillment services.
The number of service points is planned to double.
The delivery time for Nova Poshta parcels in Moldova is 1 day. Delivery to Ukraine and Romania is carried out within 3 days.
Alex Sobel has been appointed as the UK’s Trade Envoy to Ukraine, the British Embassy in Ukraine has announced.
“Alex Sobel, a member of the British Parliament, has been announced as the Trade Envoy to Ukraine. He will focus on identifying trade and investment opportunities for British businesses and promoting the UK as an attractive investment destination,” the embassy said on social media site X on Wednesday.
Sobel has been a member of the British parliament since 2024, a Labor Party member.
Source: https://interfax.com.ua
