China & Mexico is building 'increasingly successful' ties

China & Mexico is building 'increasingly successful' ties

MEXICO CITY - Mexico and China have forged an "increasingly successful" relationship, Mexico's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Carlos de Icaza Gonzalez

Photo Source: Reuters

 

China and Mexico pledged on Monday to deepen ties at a meeting between their top diplomats following last month's U.S. presidential election victory of Donald Trump, who has tested Washington's relationship with both countries.

"The government of President Enrique Pena Nieto has succeeded in building a close relationship marked by results with the People's Republic of China," Icaza wrote in an editorial in the daily Excelsior headlined "Mexico and China: An increasingly successful strategic partnership."

Before arriving in Mexico on Sunday, Chinese State Councillor Yang Jiechi met with members of Trump's team in New York, including his pick for national security adviser, retired Army Lieutenant General Michael Flynn.

Mexico has been exploring ways to lessen its economic dependence on the United States out of fear that access to its No. 1 trade partner will be restricted by policies under Trump, who promises to protect American jobs from going outside the country.

"China is today Mexico's second trade partner worldwide and the third destination globally for our exports," said the minister, noting trade exchange has gone from 300 million dollars in 2005 to 74.88 billion dollars in 2015.

"The China-Mexico relationship is back on again," said Evan Ellis, a research professor at the U.S. Army War College who specializes in China's presence in Latin America.

"The election of President Trump and the associated threat to NAFTA probably was one driver for (Pena Nieto) to position Mexico to diversify its foreign economic engagements," Ellis added.

Trump has vowed to renegotiate or scrap the North American Free Trade Agreement, a trade deal important to Mexico, which includes the United States and Canada.

"Mexico has consolidated its position as the leading Latin American supplier of vehicles and autoparts for the country (China), which is now the fourth destination for Mexican automotive exports," said Icaza.

"Emblematic Mexican products are increasingly popular in China," where Mexican beer sales nearly tripled from 2012 to 2015 and avocado sales grew twelve-fold from 2013 to 2015, while tequila exports surpassed half a million liters, according to the official.

"There are almost 1,000 Chinese-funded companies in Mexico ... participating, for example, in new hydroelectric and renewable energy projects of great importance to our country and venturing into new sectors, such as energy and automobiles," said Icaza.

"What's more, the Chinese market is increasingly more important for Mexico and (its) global companies," Icaza added, naming breadmaker Bimbo, cornflour and tortilla manufacturer Gruma, conglomerate Grupo Kuo, autoparts maker Metalsa, IT provider Softtek, aluminum autoparts producer Nemak and ceramic tile manufacturer Interceramic as firms that "are consolidating their presence in that Asian market."

"Our friendship has also been reflected" in a dynamic cultural exchange that has seen landmark Mexican exhibits travel to the major Chinese cities of Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai, said Icaza.

"We are similarly pleased by a significant increase in Chinese visitors," he said, citing tourism from China grew 30 percent from 2014 to 2015 to reach nearly 100,000 arrivals.

"But above all, we celebrate the degree of cooperation and maturity that our ties have reached, as we are partners in forums such as the United Nations, the G20 Group and APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation), where we have worked closely, with matching views, to defend and promote free trade, spur innovation and back the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, among many other matters," concluded Icaza.