The Secretary of Economy of Mexico, Ildefonso Guajardo Villarreal in a meeting with the Minister of Trade of the Republic of China, Gao Hucheng stressed the importance of reaching a satisfactory solution regarding complaints expressed by the Mexican textile industry towards China's subsidies on its textiles and garments manufacturing sector. According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Economy of Mexico, the Secretary met with the Minister of Trade while attending the Ministerial Meeting of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) held in Brunei. The Chinese Trade Minister endorsed the commitment of his country to explore alternatives for the early solution to the issue of Chinese subsidy on textiles affecting Mexican industry, as well as priority measures to boost trade in the textile industry.
During the meeting, both officials agreed to increase trade and investment flows between Mexico and China as well as stressed on the importance of supporting business missions to explore new areas of economic and commercial cooperation.
The Secretary of Economy also said that Mexico will fulfill its commitment to open a trade representative office in China to support its efforts. The Mexican official acknowledged China's observer status at the Pacific Alliance, underlining the growing importance of the country in Latin America and expressed the desire to capitalize on the situation to generate new opportunities for the benefit of the domestic textile industry. In October 2012, Mexico filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) asking to start discussions with China. Mexico blamed the Chinese Government of subsidizing the textile and garment manufacturing sector, resulting in unfair competition for the Mexican textile and clothing industry. In June 2013, the Government of Mexico and representatives of Mexican textile and apparel associations expressed confidence in resolving the issue within three months time, in view of agreements reached between the two countries during the Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Mexico.
