Mexico and China Hold Their Fifth Binational Commission Meeting in Beijing

• Mexico and China pledged to continue working together to enrich the bilateral agenda and deepen their strategic partnership agreement.

• An agreement on cultural property and another on cooperation in science and technology were signed.

•  Foreign Secretary Patricia Espinosa met with the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and made courtesy calls on Vice President Xi Jinping and Vice Premier Wang Qishan.

Foreign Secretary Patricia Espinosa and Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi closed the fifth Mexico-China binational commission meeting in Beijing. The Mexican delegation was headed by Foreign Secretary Patricia Espinosa and included officials from various federal agencies such as the Ministry of Economy; the National Councils of Science and Technology (CONACYT) and Culture and the Arts (CONACULTA); the National Service for Health, Food Safety and Food Quality; the Tax Administration Service; the National Water Commission and the National Polytechnic Institute, to name a few. Again, as in 2010, the binational commission meetings included academics in order to expand the scope of the proceedings.

During the closing ceremony, the subcommittees and working groups that comprise the binational Commission presented their findings, highlighting the progress made on the 2011-2015 joint action program signed by Mexico and China in July 2010 and agreeing to further expand their joint programs in areas as diverse as biotechnology, traditional medicine, water resources, agricultural research, the training of high-level human resources, cooperation in radio, film and television, Chinese language teaching in Mexico and Spanish in China and tourism, among others.

Foreign Secretary Espinosa discussed the maturity of the political dialogue between both countries and referred to the close work they do to deepen their strategic partnership. She also invited all of the participants to continue working together to broaden the scope of the bilateral agenda, particularly in the economic and commercial areas, where Mexico is interested in a more balanced trade relationship with China.
She also applauded the commitment of Mexico and China, both prominent emerging economies, to continue working for international economic stability, particularly within the G20.

During their meetings, Foreign Secretary Patricia Espinosa and Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi exchanged views on the regional integration processes in Latin America and the Asia-Pacific as well as on the current situation in the Middle East. They also discussed the upcoming G20 Leaders Summit that will be held in Los Cabos, Mexico and President Hu Jintao’s participation, and they agreed to work together to ensure the summit’s success.

At the conclusion of the fifth meeting of the binational commission, a cooperation agreement on the protection, preservation, return and restitution of cultural property and the prevention of theft, clandestine excavation and the illicit import and export of cultural property was signed, as were an agreement between the National Council of Science and Technology of Mexico and the Ministry of Science and Technology of China and the minutes of the meeting.

In addition to the meetings of the binational commission, Foreign Secretary Patricia Espinosa also met with Trade Minister Chen Deming, with whom she discussed economic and trade possibilities, stressing Mexico’s interest in increasing them in a balanced fashion.

The Foreign Secretary was received in separate courtesy visits by Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping and Vice Premier Wang Qishan, with whom she discussed the results of the meeting and the G20. She stressed to both officials the Mexican government's determination to prioritize its relationship with China which has extended now for four decades.

The Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Lourdes Aranda, took advantage of her participation at the meeting to hold discussions with Assistant Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu and with Vice Foreign Minister and G20 Sherpa Cui Tiankai on the importance of strengthening the two countries’ cooperation in the international forums and the G20.

The sixth meeting of the binational commission will be held in Mexico in 2014.