Viña del Mar, Chile — Mexico tacitly acknowledged today at a meeting in Viña del Mar, Chile, that measures being applied by the US new administration is forcing it to look towards Asia and the Pacific for new markets and trade.
The Mexican Economy Secretary, Ildefonso Guajardo, reiterated in an interview with journalists his Government’s willingness to consolidate ties within the Pacific Alliance (AP).
But he admitted, responding to Prensa Latina, that if the PA does not advance with the speed required by Mexico, it will seek expeditious alternatives within the approach to the Asian region and the Pacific basin in general.
Headlines and delegates from 15 countries will conclude today the two-day meeting with the aspiration to find ways to facilitate free trade and cooperation, in a global context towards protectionism, as the participants said.
Faced with the threat of the construction of a border wall by the United States, Mexico has become the center of attention in the Viñas del Mar meeting; its Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray is also attending the gathering.
However, there are other leading players, such as Australia, whose Commerce Minister, Steven Ciobo, did not hide his devotion for free trade and its influence on job creation and development.
China, Japan and South Korea, faithful to Asian philosophy, move behind the scenes without comment, as well as the United States, whose TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) stampede sank the treaty and originated the meeting of Viña del Mar. (Prensa Latina)
