- विज्ञापन -
Mexico City: In retaliation to former US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a 25% tariff on imports from Mexico, President Claudia Sheinbaum has declared counter-tariffs on American products, significantly heightening trade tensions between the two countries.
Rejecting allegations made by the White House regarding her government’s connections to criminal organizations, Sheinbaum placed the blame on the US, accusing American arms dealers of supplying weapons to these illicit groups.
“If there are any alliances, they lie within the United States’ weapons industry, which sells high-powered firearms to criminal groups, as confirmed by the US Department of Justice in January,” she stated.
Sheinbaum emphasized Mexico’s stance against foreign interference, asserting, “We categorically reject the baseless claims from the White House alleging that the Mexican government collaborates with criminal organizations, as well as any attempts to meddle in our country’s affairs.”
Highlighting the importance of diplomacy, Sheinbaum reiterated Mexico’s preference for cooperation over confrontation. “We advocate for collaboration between neighboring countries, based on shared responsibilities, mutual trust, and non-negotiable respect for sovereignty. Coordination, yes; subordination, no,” she expressed on X.
In response to Trump’s criticism about Mexico’s handling of fentanyl trafficking and illegal immigration, Sheinbaum outlined her administration’s significant anti-drug initiatives. She reported that Mexican authorities had confiscated over 40 tons of illicit drugs, including 20 million fentanyl doses, and arrested more than 10,000 individuals connected to drug cartels in a span of just four months.
She criticized US officials for their insufficient response to the fentanyl crisis, contending that the epidemic is primarily a domestic issue. “If US agencies genuinely wanted to tackle fentanyl usage, they should focus on dismantling street-level drug networks—a task they repeatedly neglect—and disrupt the money laundering operations driving this illegal trade,” she argued.
Furthermore, Sheinbaum pointed to American pharmaceutical companies as contributors to the opioid crisis, attributing the synthetic opioid epidemic in the US to the careless prescription practices authorized by the FDA, as evidenced by lawsuits against these companies.
