Mexican Economic Secretary Ildefonso Guajardo said Friday that his country had a history of effectively defending its own interests when it came to the steel trade. The statement was a subtle warning to the U.S. not to include Mexico in the steel and aluminum tariffs President Trump signed Thursday.

“More than two years ago, in the face of excess capacity in global steel production, Mexico took timely and effective measures to defend our industry, increasing our tariffs towards the countries generating this overcapacity. As a result of these actions, we redirected our imports of steel to North America, proving that it is possible to address this problem and comply with our international commitments within the framework of the World Trade Organization,” Guajardo said in a statement.