Mexican foreign minister to meet Wang Yi in China as US demands trade ties rollback

Mexico's Foreign Affairs Secretary Roberto Velasco is set to embark on a two-day official visit to China beginning Sunday, following increasing pressure from the United States to roll back trade ties with China. The visit, at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, aims to deepen mutual political trust and cooperation between the two nations, according to China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun.

Velasco, who assumed office in April, will first meet with Wang in Beijing, followed by an inauguration ceremony for Mexico's new consulate in Chongqing. The US is urging Mexico to implement trade barriers similar to those imposed on Chinese steel and aluminium, as it reviews the 2020 US-Mexico-Canada Agreement. China has been expanding its industrial presence in Mexico, with Chinese companies such as BYD heavily investing in the country.

However, the US has warned that Chinese firms may be using Mexico as a transshipment hub to avoid US tariffs. Mexico has reportedly considered new anti-dumping measures and higher import tariffs on certain Chinese goods to align more closely with the US and protect its trade pact with the United States, known as the USMCA.