Sheinbaum Says Meeting Xi at APEC Poses No Risk to US Ties
Sheinbaum rejected that meeting Xi in China would harm ties with the US, a day Trump threatened to double tariffs over a migrant caravan.
President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Thursday that her trip to the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) forum in Shenzhen, China, and a possible meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping pose no risk to Mexico’s relationship with the United States, according to El Financiero. She spoke at her morning press conference, as President Donald Trump threatened to raise tariffs and the review of the T-MEC (the USMCA trade agreement) approaches.
Sheinbaum’s answer on China and Washington
Sheinbaum noted that APEC brings together countries from different regions, including the United States, China, Mexico, Canada, Peru and Australia. She said Trump is also expected to attend, so a Mexican meeting with Xi should not become an issue.
She added that Mexico is a friend to all countries and that trade with China needs to be discussed. In her words, Mexico has a free trade agreement with the US that it does not have with China. The Chinese relationship, she said, is not comparable to the one with Washington.
Trump’s tariff threat over a migrant caravan
On Thursday, Trump threatened to double Mexico’s existing tariffs unless the government stops a migrant caravan from reaching the US border. Sheinbaum replied that no caravan has reached the border during her administration. She said migrants who are told that the conditions for seeking asylum in the US have not changed decide to go back to their countries.
What Sheinbaum plans at APEC
Sheinbaum’s official activities in Shenzhen run from Nov. 17 to 19. She is expected to hold bilateral meetings with Xi, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and representatives of Australia, Vietnam and other countries. She will also address the APEC Business Advisory Council and join a session titled “Building an Asia-Pacific community to prosper together” with the other leaders. Outside the official program, she said she wants to talk with the Mexican community living in China.
What this means for Mexico
Mexico will host the forum next year, so this year’s meeting puts Sheinbaum in contact with leaders from the countries that will attend. The tariff threat and the coming review of the trade agreement mean that her talks with China will be read against Mexico’s dealings with the US.
Source: El Financiero
