Trump’s Colombia Tariff Threat Targeted a Vibrant Alternative to China

Before Sunday, Colombia was quietly emerging as a refuge for multinational brands seeking a stable place to make their products in a time of geopolitical and environmental upheaval.

President Trump’s threats to increase tariffs on imports from China was forcing companies to diminish their dependence on factories in that country.

Businesses were setting up plants closer to the United States — a trend known as nearshoring. Mexico had become a popular destination, but Mr. Trump’s vow to impose tariffs on Mexican imports was adding risk to that strategy, too.

Colombia, by contrast, appeared safely removed from Mr. Trump’s focus. Since 2018, some $7.6 billion in foreign investment has been committed to more than 300 projects in Colombia connected to nearshoring, according to ProColombia, a government trade bureau. American companies make up more than 40 percent of all foreign investment — the largest single source.

“Nearshoring is not just a passing fad,” said Todd Fagley, chief executive of MedSource Labs, a medical equipment company based in Chanhassen, Minn., that set up a factory in Colombia three years ago. “The world is only going to get more difficult to maneuver,” he added.

But Mr. Fagley was not anticipating the events of Sunday afternoon.