Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (right) and Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard (left) seen at a joint press conference held in Beijing on Tuesday Photo: Shen Weiduo/GT

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and visiting Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said their countries  support multilateralism amid rising global uncertainties and will continue to promote and enhance bilateral ties.  

Speaking at a joint press conference in Beijing on Tuesday, Wang said China and Mexico will strengthen cooperation and oppose unilateralism and protectionism. The two countries should strengthen communication and cooperation to promote the continuous development of their comprehensive strategic bilateral partnership, said Wang.

Maintaining bilateral ties with China is a priority for Mexico, Ebrard said, and his country jointly supports multilateralism with China, as the countries agreed to during the G20 Summit.

Mexico supports China's stance to firmly safeguard its sovereignty, Ebrard said, stressing that any external attempt to intervene in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region affairs will be in vain.

Ebrard's official visit to China, which runs from Sunday to Tuesday, comes at a time when both China and Mexico are facing risks brought by the US' unilateralism and capricious policies. 

US President Donald Trump had threatened to impose tariffs on Mexico on May 30, but they were taken "off the table" after Mexico pledged to step up efforts to prevent migrants from Central America from reaching the US, Bloomberg reported.

With almost 80 percent of its exports going to the US, Mexico has been diversifying its export destinations and reducing its economic dependence on the US.

"China is willing to promote more high-quality Mexican products entering the Chinese market and strengthen cooperation in sectors including clean energy, e-commerce, satellites and aerospace, and promote bilateral tourism and student exchanges," Wang said.

The Mexican diplomat said that China is Mexico's second largest trade partner, and the two have huge space to enhance cooperation in infrastructure, tourism and logistics.

China-Mexico trade ties have been on the rise in recent years. In 2018, Mexico was China's second-largest trade partner in Latin America, with bilateral trade volume of $58.06 billion, an increase of 22 percent year-on-year, customs data showed.




Newspaper headline: China, Mexico vow to jointly uphold multilateralism