ARTICLE · 19 OCTOBER 2026
Moving Manufacturing From China To Mexico
As U.S.-China trade tensions escalate and tariffs reshape global supply chains, manufacturers face a critical decision: stay in China or relocate to Mexico. This comprehensive guide examines the operational, legal, and financial realities of moving manufacturing from China to Mexico, drawing on years of practical experience helping companies navigate this complex transition.
Moving Manufacturing From China to Mexico: The Complete Guide
When China's COVID-zero lockdowns and its aggression toward Taiwan started spooking foreign companies in 2022, the international manufacturing lawyers at my firm began getting a steady stream of calls and emails from companies looking to leave China. Most wanted to know about Mexico, and some of the companies calling us were themselves Chinese or Taiwanese. The tariff wars since then have given companies more reasons to look south. Mexico makes sense for many of them. But companies that go into Mexico expecting to find China with a shorter shipping route are in for an expensive education.
Starting in 2022, my good friend Andrew Hupert and I wrote a long series of posts for this blog on what leaving China for Mexico actually involves. Nobody was better suited to write about this than Andrew. I first met him in Shanghai in 2003, and over the following two decades I came to rely deeply on his practical business wisdom,
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