Brass Ring: Central America's Integration Status, by... -
[Cached Version]
Published on: 1/28/2002
Last Visited: 10/1/2009
"If you are a U.S. company exporting to Central America, you're paying a duty that you might not pay if you move to Mexico," says José Antonio Rivas, trade commissioner for Mexican import-export bank Bancomext.
It works the other way around, too, with Central American companies gaining access to the U.S. market through Mexico.
The strategy is also designed to insulate Mexico from the Chinese invasion of cheap, high-volume products by transferring its maquila industries to Central America.
"Eventually, we can take advantage of Central America's infrastructure and expertise and transfer our maquila industries there," Rivas says.