Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador will meet with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Thursday in San Francisco during an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, Mexico's foreign minister said on Tuesday.
Lopez Obrador, who seldom travels outside Mexico, is also scheduled to meet with U.S. President Joe Biden the following day on the sidelines of the APEC meetings.
Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Barcena told a press conference that Lopez Obrador and Xi would discuss trade as well as how to improve bilateral supply chains for what she said would be their first meeting in person.
"It's a very important meeting," said Barcena, noting that China had always wanted close relations with Mexico.
Barcena said Mexico's economic relations with the United States would be at the heart of the U.S.-Mexico talks, pointing to billions of dollars in U.S. investment coming to Mexico.
Immigration and border security, as well as efforts to curb drug trafficking would also be prominent, she said, noting the two sides would look at how to better control the arrival of precursors from Asia used to make deadly opioid fentanyl.
Barcena said Lopez Obrador would also hold a bilateral meeting with Canada on Thursday afternoon, without being more specific. A Mexican official said the meeting would be with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
