Mexico said it would slap tit-for-tat tariffs on the US, while China said Trump's finger-pointing "runs completely counter to facts".

The governments of China and Mexico warned of retaliatory trade actions and Canada urged restraint Tuesday after President-elect Trump on Monday threatened steep tariffs to pressure those countries into cracking down on drug trafficking and illegal immigration.

The president-elect’s opening salvo in trade and border talks with the United States’ neighbors is casting a harsh light on the North American alliance.