On Thursday, November 16, 2023, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and Chinese President Xi Jinping met on the sidelines of the 30th Asia Pacific Cooperation (APEC) Summit in San Francisco. The two leaders pledged to work together and strengthen ties, while agreeing to combat illicit drug trafficking and to increase trade and investment.[1]
Commenting on the meeting, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that bilateral relations have strengthened over time and are based on reciprocity.[2] Xi Jinping also said that the two sides should make good use of the intergovernmental cooperation mechanism and deepen cooperation in traditional areas such as infrastructure construction.[3] Praising the Mexican leader and his reforms, Xi Jinping emphasized the importance of the two sides cooperating in various sectors such as infrastructure, finance and electric vehicles.
Meeting with Xi Jinping for the first time[4] López Obrador has pledged to encourage Chinese businesses to invest in Mexico. Expressing his country’s desire to deepen cooperation with China on multilateral issues, the Mexican leader stated that they are committed to strengthening relations between China and Latin America.[5] Indeed, in recent years, faced with tariffs and other restrictions by the United States (US), many Chinese companies have been forced to move some of their production to Mexico.
Xi Jinping expressed his condolences to those affected by Hurricane Otis in Mexico. It is known that China has made urgent arrangements to provide relief supplies to Mexico. Stating that bilateral cooperation will not be limited to the economy, the leaders pledged solidarity on global issues such as climate change, cybersecurity and global health issues. This is an indication of both countries’ intentions to act together by taking responsibility at the global level.
In recent years, Mexico has joined China’s trade partnerships with Latin American countries. China aims to ensure unity and cooperation with Latin American countries on global issues. China aims to contribute to the economies of the countries in the region by cooperating with Latin America in the fields of technology transfer and innovation. Joint projects, training programs and research collaborations in science and technology support knowledge sharing and learning processes between the parties.
China and Mexico are striving for a closer relationship, with increasing interactions in the areas of economic cooperation and trade. Mexico has the potential to cooperate with China in a number of areas. Both countries have made a number of commitments to adapt to changing world dynamics and to mutually benefit each other. Future relations will be shaped by the strategic interests of both countries.
[1] “Mexico, China Nod To Stronger Ties As Leaders Agree To Promote Trade And Investment.”, Reuters, https://www.reuters.com/world/china/us/mexico-china-maintain-mutuall, (Erişim Tarihi: 17.11.2023).
[2] Ibıd..
[3] “Xi Jinping meets with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador”, Xinhua, https://english.news.cn/20231117/fd7fc3ddacc94e4b8ed43daafbf54b6e/c.html, (Erişim Tarihi: 17.11.2023).
[4] Didi Tang, “China’s Xi is courting Indo-Pacific leaders in a flurry of talks at a summit in San Francisco”, AP News, https://apnews.com/article/xi-apec-mexico-peru-fiji-china-da6e436f75c0dd589db742a1938b6919 (Erişim Tarihi: 17.11.2023).
[5] Ibıd.
