Mexico has approved a sweeping set of new tariffs on Asian imports, aligning itself more closely with US efforts to curb China’s trade reach.

The Senate on Wednesday passed legislation imposing duties of five percent to 50 percent on more than 1,400 products from Asian countries that lack a trade agreement with Mexico.

The measures will take effect next year, targeting goods ranging from clothing to metals, machinery and auto parts with China’s vast industrial output clearly at the center of the policy.

Mexico’s finance ministry estimates the tariffs will generate almost 52 billion pesos in additional revenue in 2025, marking one of the most significant fiscal boosts in recent years.

Under President Claudia Sheinbaum, the bill passed with 76 votes in favor, five against and 35 abstentions, and comes at a pivotal moment in her ongoing trade negotiations with US President Donald Trump.

The move is widely viewed as an attempt to align more closely with Washington’s priorities and potentially ease US pressure on Mexican steel, aluminum and other exports currently subject to punitive tariffs, according to bloomberg.

For decades, Mexico has been one of the Western Hemisphere’s strongest champions of free trade, securing a global network of commercial agreements. But Sheinbaum’s Morena-led government is now charting a more protectionist path. The tariffs echo US concerns about the transshipment of Chinese goods through third countries, and follow similar actions by Canada last year emulating American levies on electric vehicles, steel and aluminum.

Beijing responded sharply on Thursday. China’s Ministry of Commerce said it “hopes Mexico will correct its erroneous practices of unilateralism and protectionism as soon as possible,” according to Bloomberg’s reporting.

Mexico’s imbalance with China remains substantial: last year it exported about 71 billion dollars less to China than it imported, Bloomberg noted, citing Chinese customs data.

According to the new tariff schedules, Chinese-made automobiles will face some of the highest duties at 50 percent. China’s rapidly expanding auto industry already accounts for roughly 20 percent of the Mexican market, a meteoric rise from virtually no presence just six years ago.