President Peña Nieto Meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping

Presidency of the Republic

As part of his participation in the Emerging Economies and Developing Countries Dialogue in Xiamen City, China, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto attended a bilateral meeting with President Xi Jinping.

This was the fourth visit to China by the president and the seventh bilateral meeting with his Chinese counterpart. It also coincided with the commemoration of the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. These meetings have led to concrete progress in priority areas of bilateral relations, such as trade, investment and tourism. 

The leaders spoke about progress made in recent years, such as Mexican products’ access to the Chinese market (pork, tequila and berries, among others); the participation of Chinese companies in the exploration and extraction of Mexican hydrocarbons; as well as the development of the Shared Network. These investment flows have been strengthened by the creation of the Mexico-China Binational Fund in 2014.

They also discussed the start of operations in Mexico, in June 2016, of the Bank of Industry and Commerce of China (ICBC) and the Bank of China, as well as the expansion of Mexico’s air connectivity with the commencement of the Guangzhou-Vancouver-Mexico City flight by China Southern Airlines, the first Chinese airline to establish a passenger route to Mexico.

The leaders exchanged views on the “One Belt, One Route” initiative, led by President Xi Jinping. The Mexican president thanked his Chinese counterpart for his support in combating the illegal totoaba [a marine fish with a swim bladder sought by the Chinese] market, and the two leaders reiterated their commitment to the conservation of species in danger of extinction, particularly the vaquita porpoise, a cetacean endemic to the upper Sea of Cortez. They also confirmed their desire to defend free trade, within the framework of a multilateral system based on clear rules.

President Peña Nieto informed President Xi Jinping about the start of the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement. He explained that the United States is Mexico’s main trading partner and that NAFTA has proven to be a vehicle for promoting economic development in the region, as well as making North America more prosperous and competitive. The president added that Mexico's position at the NAFTA renegotiation table will continue to be serious and constructive, always putting national interest ahead and seeking a win-win result for all three North American countries [Canada included].

President Peña Nieto told the Chinese leader of the progress achieved in other trade integration processes undertaken by Mexico, including the modernization of the Global Agreement with the European Union, the figure of the Associated State of the Pacific Alliance, and the negotiation underway to expand trade with Brazil.

The two leaders discussed the current situation in their respective regions. Regarding the political and humanitarian crisis in Venezuela, President Peña Nieto told President Xi Jinping that Mexico supports a peaceful solution, through a political agreement among Venezuelans that respects the constitution and laws of that country. The presidents agreed to strongly condemn North Korea's nuclear activity and implement UN Security Council resolutions.

China is currently Mexico’s second largest trading partner and ranks first among the Asia-Pacific region countries, with US$74.928 billion in 2016. It is also the sixth largest investor in Mexico of the Asia- Pacific region, and the 32nd largest worldwide. In 2016, 74,000 Chinese tourists visited Mexico, a 186% increase since 2012.

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Presidency of the Republic, Sep. 4, 2017; translation Presidency of the Republic