Less than three months before the USMCA review begins, Mexico and the United States are shaping a new agreement on critical minerals. The US Treasury Department reported that it met this Tuesday with the Mexican Secretary of Finance, Édgar Amador Zamora, to address the binational strategy on these strategic inputs. “Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also urged Secretary Zamora and his Finance team to continue working closely with the Treasury in the fight against drug trafficking and in their shared priorities regarding illicit financing,” the US authorities indicated. The message was accompanied by a photograph of both officials in Washington.
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Yesterday, I met with Mexican Secretary of Finance @Edgar_Amador_Z to discuss ongoing economic cooperation between the United States and Mexico.
We exchanged views on shared priorities under the U.S.-Mexico Action Plan on Critical Minerals and discussed broader regional and… pic.twitter.com/u243smr4o9
— Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (@SecScottBessent) April 15, 2026
The governments of Mexico and the United States have set as a common goal, for months, the design of a joint strategy on critical minerals. Although not many details of this roadmap have been disclosed, the action plan foresees the identification of geological projects and the establishment of minimum prices between the nations. In the list of strategic minerals, lithium stands out, used in battery manufacturing, but it is not the only one. Silver, aluminum, barite, antimony, cobalt, and fluorite are also considered strategic inputs in energy components, electric vehicles, and semiconductors.
The Ministry of Economy, headed by Marcelo Ebrard, stated at the beginning of the year that this joint strategy seeks to set regulatory standards, coordinated rapid responses to prevent disruptions and crises in critical mineral supply chains, technical and regulatory cooperation, as well as the development of new technologies to exploit these inputs. At that time, Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, denied that the joint work with Washington implies subordination: “We are not giving up anything to anyone.”
The discussion about the mineral subsoil wealth of both countries has as a backdrop the upcoming review of the North American trade agreement. The highest review of the USMCA between Mexico, the US, and Canada will begin next July, and analysts foresee that the management of critical minerals by the partners will be one of the main topics on the table. In parallel with the work with the US, the Mexican government has also addressed the issue with Canada, India, Japan, and South Korea. In the midst of a global technological war, the guarantee of these strategic inputs is a crucial point for the integration of North America.
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