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CHAPTER VIIIForeign Trade andCustoms RegulationsThis chapter gives an overview of the basic regulation of foreign trade in Mexico, aswell as a brief outline of the interaction of the different international agreements thathave an impact on Mexican regulation. The regulation of the manufacturing, maquiladora,and export services industries is also examined and the manner in whichnew rules have been substituted for old ones in an effort to construct a modern regulatorymodel.1571. IntroductionIn very general terms and from a strictly legal point of view, foreign trade can be understoodas the group of rules and regulations governing the commercial exchange of goods,merchandise, and services between residents of two or more countries.As a general rule, the legal regulations regarding foreign trade are a reflection of theeconomic policy each country adopts. In the case of Mexico, foreign trade regulationssolidify the economic policy of commercial openness, which was initiated when Mexicojoined the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).The foreign trade regulations that govern our country are found, primarily, in thePolitical Constitution of the United Mexican States (Constitución Política de los EstadosUnidos Mexicanos), in several federal laws, and in multiple international commercialagreements that Mexico has signed.In relation to such agreements, the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SupremaCorte de Justicia de la Nación, SCJN), the highest judicial body in the country, issued a nonbindingdecision stating that lawfully executed treaties are hierarchically superior to federallaws, which indicates the current importance of the commitments Mexico hasassumed through such instruments.