On September 3, Guo Jiakun, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, presided over a regular press conference. Guo Jiakun announced that at the invitation of Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mexican Foreign Minister Velásquez will visit China from September 6 to 7.
A reporter asked, how does China evaluate its current relations with Mexico? What are the expectations for this visit?
Guo Jiaqun said that Mexico is a major country in Latin America and an important emerging market nation. China and Mexico are comprehensive strategic partners. Over the past 50 years since they established diplomatic relations, their bilateral relations have continued to develop deeply. There have been many achievements in exchanges and cooperation in various fields. Both sides maintain close coordination and cooperation in international and regional affairs.
Guo Jiakun said that this visit is the first trip to China since Mr. Velásquez took office as foreign minister in April this year. The Chinese side hopes that through this visit, they will exchange in-depth views with the Mexican side on bilateral relations and international and regional issues of common concern. They aim to continuously enhance political mutual trust, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, promote the stable development of China-Mexico relations, and bring greater benefits to the people of both countries.
According to Agence France-Presse, the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the itinerary for this visit to China on Wednesday. A message posted on social media stated that this visit "will help strengthen political dialogue and cooperation between the two countries." The official statement also mentioned that as part of this trip, Velasco will host the opening ceremony of the Mexican Consulate General in Chongqing.
The report indicates that Mexico’s Foreign Minister’s visit to China takes place at a critical moment: Mexico is currently negotiating the re-examination of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement with the United States and Canada. At the beginning of this year, Mexico imposed tariffs on countries without trade agreements, including China, which has strained economic and trade relations between the two countries. Although Mexico insists that these measures are not targeted at specific countries, China has become one of the main affected parties. China has previously questioned Mexico’s tariff policies.
