A quiet but telling move in Mexico this week.
Creel, García-Cuéllar, Aiza y Enríquez—one of Mexico's top-tier firms—just poached an entire international trade and customs team, including a partner, from Garrigues Mexico.
On its face, it's a lateral move. In context, it's a signal.
Mexico is now the second-largest economy in Latin America and the single most important nearshoring destination for Chinese, Korean and Japanese manufacturers moving supply chains closer to the U.S. market. When a top domestic firm decides to build a dedicated trade and customs practice from scratch, they're telling you where the disputes and compliance work is heading next.
From the China-outbound seat, three pressure points show up in almost every consultation:
- USMCA rules of origin. Regional value content and labor value content thresholds are strict. "Made in Mexico" on paper doesn't survive a serious customs audit if the Chinese content is too heavy.
- Anti-circumvention exposure on both sides. U.S. tariff layers on Chinese goods keep expanding, and Mexico itself has been adjusting tariffs on selected Chinese imports since late 2024. Mexican-based Chinese factories are squeezed from both directions.
- Foreign investment review and post-2024 judicial reform. Sensitive sectors—energy, telecom, ports, border real estate—have real gates, and local compliance costs have risen.
The 2026 USMCA joint review is coming. Origin methodologies and supply-chain documentation should be re-examined now, not after an audit letter arrives.
For companies already in Mexico or planning to land there: don't just hire a Spanish-speaking firm. Hire one that can coordinate the U.S. side, the Mexico side, and the China-parent structuring in one conversation.
Happy to compare notes with in-house counsel and cross-border colleagues working the same corridor.
#CrossBorderLaw #Mexico #USMCA #ChinaOutbound #TradeCompliance
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Mike Wu, China-licensed Attorney · Cross-border practice
4 languages (CN/EN/ES/JA)
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