Mexico-Taiwan trade, already growing steadily, has surged this year

April 21, 2026

Taiwan flag — U.S. tariffs and Mexico's nearshoring advantages have helped boost Taiwan's relationship with Mexico, both in trade and investment. (Shutterstock)

Mexican imports from Taiwan increased by 400% in February, compared to the same month last year, to reach US $7.5 billion, according to the most recent data from the Bank of Mexico.

Taiwanese exports to Mexico had begun climbing significantly in March of 2025, when the introduction of U.S. tariffs on Asian imports encouraged several Asian countries to seek new markets just as Mexico was carrying out its ambitious nearshoring plans.

The recent rise in trade between Taiwan and Mexico is in a large part within the semiconductor industry, where Taiwan is a global leader in chip manufacturing. (Unsplash)

As a result, Taiwanese imports contributed an estimated 6.93% of Mexico’s total imports in 2025, according to the Senior Project Manager at Taiwan Trade Center, Mexico City, Brenda Camargo.

Bilateral trade between Mexico and Taiwan has been growing for several years, exceeding $18 billion in 2024. The new figures from the central bank, however, indicate a sharp jump.

The increase is not purely due to increased domestic consumption but to shifts in global supply chains, as Mexico, the United States and Canada look to strengthen regional supply chains in response to ongoing geopolitical issues and disruptions to manufacturing countries, particularly in Asia.

“Trade between Asian countries and Mexico isn’t just about simple products like televisions or electronics; much of it is part of supply chains,” the president of the Asia and Oceania section of the Mexican Business Council for Foreign Trade (Comce), Stephane Michel, told the newspaper El Financiero.

Much of the recent significant rise in trade between Taiwan and Mexico is in the semiconductor industry. Taiwan, a global leader in chip manufacturing, has established itself as a strategic supplier in the technology and manufacturing industries.

Furthermore, the expansion in Mexico’s manufacturing clusters in states such as Jalisco, Chihuahua and Baja California has driven Taiwanese investment.

Taiwan-based tech company Foxconn, which first launched operations in Mexico in 2004, now has 14 manufacturing plants across nine cities, including Ciudad Juárez, Monterrey and Guadalajara. In 2025, Foxconn announced plans to invest $168 million in its Mexican subsidiary as part of a global expansion focused on AI server production.

The spike in imports from Taiwan was also observed in the United States, reflecting a bilateral shift away from China. In 2025, U.S. imports from Taiwan rose by US $59.6 billion compared to 2024, the largest increase among all trade partners of the United States.

With reports from El Financiero, Mexico Business News and Taiwan News