China and Mexico on Monday pledged to deepen ties at a meeting between their top diplomats following last month’s US presidential election victory by Donald Trump, who has tested Washington’s relationship with both nations.
Before arriving in Mexico on Sunday, Chinese State Councillor Yang Jiechi (楊潔篪) 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 US out of fear that access to its No. 1 trade partner would be restricted by policies under Trump, who promises to protect US jobs from going outside the nation.
Yang’s meeting with Mexican Secretary of Foreign Affairs Claudia Ruiz Massieu included discussions of enhancing trade and investment ties, the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement, as well as improving flight connections between the two nations.
“They agreed to deepen mutual trust and develop the bilateral dialogue about subjects of mutual interest via the Mexico-China Strategic Dialogue,” the ministry said, without giving more details.
After his meeting with Ruiz Massieu, Yang had a “courtesy visit” with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.
The Chinese government has bristled at Trump’s moves this month, protesting his decision to accept a telephone call from President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and voicing concern after a weekend interview on Fox News Sunday in which he questioned whether the US had to stick with a “one China” policy.
Mexico’s relationship with China appeared to cool after Pena Nieto scrapped high-profile rail and retail projects that were supposed to usher in a new era of business between the manufacturing rivals, but Mexico last week awarded two deepwater oil blocks to China’s Offshore Oil Corp during a historic auction that was part of the nation’s energy reform.
“The China-Mexico relationship is back on again,” said US Army War College research professor Evan Ellis, 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,” he said.
Trump has vowed to renegotiate or scrap the North American Free Trade Agreement, a trade deal important to Mexico, which includes the US and Canada.
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