Quando a China Perde, o México Ganha

Demografia e logística estão erodindo as vantagens comparativas chinesas. E quando a China perde competitividade quem ganha é o México, pelo menos em relação ao mercado americano: Carlisle Cos. said it was stepping up its tire-making operations in Tennessee because, according to CEO David Roberts, "we can actually manufacture as cheaply or cheaper here in the U.S. than we can in China." But for many companies, a better step is to beef up production in Mexico. Despite security concerns, wages are substantially lower than in the U.S. A look at recent trade statistics suggests companies are already on the move. The number of loaded shipping containers entering the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, Calif.—the major entry points for Asian imports—edged down 0.2% last year. But trains and trucks carried 8.7% more freight, by weight, from Mexico to the U.S. in the first 11 months of last year than they did a year earlier.