Mexico and China leave behind mistrust and agree on strategic partnership

Friday, June 7th 2013 - 08:03 UTC

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Xi Jinping and Peña Nieto exchange gifts and smiles during a formal presentation

Leaving behind an atmosphere of mistrust, China and Mexico agreed this week to upgrade bilateral ties to comprehensive strategic partnership, and thus opening broad prospects for economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.

Visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping called for joint efforts from China and Mexico businesspeople to expand the two countries' economic cooperation.

“Both China and Mexico stand at a crucial stage of development, and the two emerging economies are complementary in such domains as resources, technology, capital and market” Xi said at a conference attended by Chinese and Mexican entrepreneurs.

Xi pointed out that China and Mexico have just agreed to upgrade their bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership, which creates more favourable conditions and opens a vaster space for the development of trade and economic cooperation.

The Chinese president urged both sides to see each other as partners and an important opportunity for development, and to strengthen China-Mexico economic and trade cooperation from a strategic perspective.

Xi said that the two countries should foster new growth points for bilateral investment in such areas as energy, mining, infrastructure and high-tech industry, while tapping the full potential of their cooperation in traditional fields.

“The two sides should work in the spirit of mutual respect and mutual benefit to optimize their trade structure, resolve their differences through amicable negotiations and seek trade balance in an active manner”, he said.

Addressing the same conference, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto said China is an important partner for Mexico, and the upgrade of bilateral ties to comprehensive strategic partnership has opened broad prospects for economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.

He said the two countries should explore new areas and new means of cooperation so as to promote a more balanced growth of bilateral trade and achieve win-win results. Mexico is willing to create favourable conditions to attract more Chinese investment, he pledged.