Meade and Abbott: a warming trend. Mexico and Texas, which enjoy a trade partnership worth nearly US $200 billion a year, are talking again, but this time the tone is much warmer than before.
Foreign Affairs Secretary José Antonio Meade just spent two days visiting the state on the invitation of Gov. Greg Abbott. It was the first visit by a Mexican foreign affairs chief since 2003, and comes only a month after the governor signed an $800 million border security bill that drew some criticism from Meade’s department.
The two met on Thursday but the dialogue began in April when the Texas Secretary of State came south to meet with Meade. A trip north by President Peña Nieto will likely follow at some point, but Meade said it was too early to talk about that.
The focus of Thursday’s meeting was primarily trade: about 400,000 jobs in Texas are tied to cross-border commerce that is worth $192 billion annually. Mexico is the state’s biggest international trading partner: its exports totaled $102.6 billion last year, way ahead of second-place Canada where it sent $31.1 billion worth of goods.
The dialogue also produced an agreement that Abbott will visit Mexico, possibly in September, officials from both countries said off the record.
Meade’s visit was brought about in part through efforts by the World Affairs Council of Dallas/Forth Worth, a non-profit and non-partisan organization whose mission is to promote international awareness.
He was the guest speaker yesterday at a public event sponsored by the council, where he urged U.S. politicians to see his country as a friend rather than an enemy.
The 300 people in attendance applauded comments made by the foreign affairs secretary regarding the inflammatory and disparaging comments made about Mexico by U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump.
He said the remarks were the result of prejudice and demonstrated “complete ignorance,” noting that in politics there is room for neither. But Meade said he was encouraged by the reaction in the U.S., which has been mostly critical of the real estate tycoon and businessman.
Meade also had lunch with North Texas business and political leaders and students, where he spoke about investment opportunities created by structural reforms and the need for a new narrative that casts the proper light on Mexico, reported the Dallas Morning News. Mexico, said Meade, is much larger than the security challenges it faces.
The deployment of Texas National Guard troops on the Mexico-U.S. border by former governor Rick Perry last summer heightened tensions and sparked words for two months after.
Source: Dallas Morning News (en), Notimex (sp)
