Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard began a visit to the People's Republic of China today to give renewed impetus to trade and investment, given the close political dialogue between both countries.
The foreign secretary met with Vice President Wang Qishan to reaffirm Mexico’s interest in a wide-ranging agenda of cooperation. He highlighted the growing importance for both countries of the economic relationship, and the benefits of tapping into new areas of complementarity.
Secretary Ebrard and Vice President Wang had met previously, when the vice president was mayor of Beijing from 2004-2007. Prior to that, he served as the Chinese president's anti-corruption czar.
At today’s productive meeting, the two officials underscored their interest in strengthening the ties of cooperation, taking as a reference the four behaviors that President Xi Jinping has said he wants to eradicate: frivolity, corruption, excessive bureaucratization, and hedonism in public service.
In the afternoon, the foreign secretary led a business seminar at the Mexican embassy that was organized together with the China International Investment Promotion Agency and attended by more than 60 Chinese companies. The participants discussed the successes of Chinese investors in Mexico and of Mexican companies that have made inroads into the Chinese market.
The head of the Economy Ministry's Global Economic Intelligence Unit, Sergio Silva Castañeda, explained the opportunities in Mexico for trade and investment between the two countries. The foreign secretary, in both his remarks and the dialogue with the business executives, said that the Mexican government is taking specific steps to enhance the potential of its economic relations, especially in the areas of advanced manufacturing, electric mobility, e-commerce, online services, logistics, tourism and agrifood.
The foreign secretary's visit will conclude tomorrow after meetings with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Commerce Minister Zhong Shan.
Mexico and the People's Republic of China established diplomatic relations in 1972 and agreed to establish a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2013. China is Mexico's second largest trading partner and its third biggest export market. Total trade exceeded USD 90 billion in 2018.
