China sees great potential and room for growth in ties with Mexico, Wang Yi tells visiting foreign minister

China vows to strengthen cooperation with Mexico and their bilateral relations have great potential and room for development, Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Mexican counterpart Alicia Barcena.

In a meeting with Barcena in Beijing on Tuesday, Wang emphasised the huge potential for China-Mexico cooperation and said the two sides should “advance all-round exchanges and cooperation” in economy, trade, people-to-people cultural exchanges and other fields, according to a foreign ministry readout.

A China-Mexico working group was established when a Mexican delegation visited China in October. They agreed to jointly combat the trafficking of precursor chemicals used to make synthetic drugs and fentanyl.

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Wang and Barcena agreed on the importance of the October visit, according to a Mexican foreign ministry readout.

The two countries will also monitor the production chain and exchange information about the illegal use of these substances.

Drug control is an important part of China-Mexico cooperation, and the current US administration has sought to work with Mexico and China to halt the flow of fentanyl into the US.

Washington has accused China of supplying an illicit flow of precursor chemicals that has resulted in a sharp surge in fentanyl-related overdose deaths.

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In October, it imposed sanctions against 28 individuals and businesses related to fentanyl, a move Beijing criticised while saying the crisis was a problem rooted in the US.

Nonetheless, the two countries struck a deal last month during the leaders’ meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden, where Beijing and Washington agreed to work together on narcotics control. China urged its chemical companies to curtail production and shipments of the materials used to produce fentanyl.

Xi also met Mexican leaders at the Apec summit last month, and they agreed to combat illegal drug trafficking between their countries and expand bilateral trade and investment.

Expressing the hope of furthering China-Latin America relations, Wang said on Tuesday that China and Mexico – as major developing countries – should strengthen multilateral coordination, safeguard the common interests of developing countries and jointly address global challenges.

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On the same day, Wang also held phone talks with David Cameron, the former British prime minister who has taken the role as the UK’s foreign secretary.

Wang told Cameron the two sides should “maintain dialogue and communication, enhance coordination and deepen cooperation” in the face of complex international situations and global challenges, according to a Chinese readout.