China's President Xi Jinping receives the keys of the city from Mexico City Mayor Miguel Mancera during a welcoming ceremony at city government headquarters in Mexico City on Wednesday. Christian Palma / AP

Friendship between Mexico and China like bottle of aged tequila

Mexico and China's relationship faces "unprecedented opportunities", Chinese President Xi Jinping told the Mexican Senate on Wednesday.

"The purpose of my trip to Mexico is to deepen friendship, expand cooperation and work with Mexican leaders in setting out the blueprint for bilateral relations," Xi said in his speech titled "Seeking Development to Create a Better Future".

The overall strategic partnership he and his Mexican counterpart Enrique Pena Nieto agreed upon would allow bilateral relationship to develop at a higher level and on a bigger platform, he continued.

On Tuesday, the first of a three-day visit to Mexico, Xi and Pena Nieto, who visited China in April, signed a joint statement to elevate the relationship. The two countries also signed a dozen agreements and memorandums of understanding to boost cooperation in areas of infrastructure, energy, telecommunication, banking and education.

Xi, who last visited Mexico in 2009 as China's vice-president, said the two countries should maintain high-level visits so they can play a role in guiding the relationship.

"Each should view the other's development as its own opportunity," he said. He said China does not seek trade surplus and vowed to stick to an open policy to increase its imports of Mexican products, especially high-value-added goods.

On Tuesday, China announced it will import more pork and tequila from Mexico.

Xi also called on the two countries to oppose protectionism and seek to resolve trade frictions through consultation.

Praising Mexico for its increasing global influence by citing the climate change conference in Cancun in 2010 and the G20 summit in Los Cabos in 2012, Xi said the two countries should actively participate in global economic governance and promote the democratization of international relations.

The Chinese president also emphasized the importance of exchanges between the people and believes that with an estimated 400 million Chinese set to travel abroad in the next five years, there will be more Chinese touring the historical sites and natural wonders of Mexico.

He welcomed more Mexicans to visit the Great Wall, the Forbidden City in Beijing and the Terra Cotta Warriors in Xi'an to appreciate China's ancient civilization, as well as the development and progress of an ever-changing China.

Xi compared the long friendship between China and Mexico to a bottle of aged tequila. It "has grown from one generation to another, bringing an ever-fresh fragrance over the passage of time," he said.

Xi said Latin America has again entered a period of golden development. "We believe the better Latin America develops, the better it is for the world and for China," he said.

He said China and Latin America should show mutual understanding and support on issues involving each other's core interests and major concerns, and called for further elevation of China-Latin America ties.

In the next five years, China will import more than $10 trillion of goods, while investing an estimated $500 billion overseas.

"This will bring more business opportunities to the world, including all nations in Latin America and the Caribbean," Xi said.

Liu Zongyi, a research fellow at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, said that despite competition in the manufacturing sector, China and Mexico have maintained good cooperation in the international arena.

"Now with growing competitiveness, Mexico has increasingly seen the opportunity in participating in the Chinese market and the benefits of strengthening bilateral relations," Liu said.

Contact the writers at zhuzhe@chinadaily.com.cn, chenweihua@chinadailyusa.com

(China Daily USA 06/06/2013 page1)