In 2021, the comprehensive strategic partnership between the People’s Republic of China and the United Mexican States continued to deepen.

High-level exchanges were frequent. The strategic leading role of head-of-state diplomacy is constantly strengthened in the bilateral relations. In September, President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on the 200th anniversary of the victory of the Mexican War of Independence and gave a video address at the opening ceremony of the sixth CELAC Summit hosted by President López. In December, President López addressed the opening ceremony of the third Ministers’ Meeting of the China-CELAC Forum via pre-recorded video. In July, leaders of major political parties of Mexico sent congratulatory letters to the CPC Central Committee on the 100th anniversary of the CPC. In April, NPC Chairman Li Zhanshu and President of the Senate Oscar Ramirez held video talks. In November, NPC Vice Chairman Wu Weihua co-chaired with Vice President of the Senate José Narro Céspedes the fifth Meeting of the Parliamentary Dialogue Forum Between the General Congress of the United Mexican States and the National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China via video link, contributing to a stronger consensus on China-Mexico friendship in Mexico’s parliament. In September, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi had a phone call with Minister of Foreign Affairs Marcelo Luis Ebrard Casaubón. In October, the two foreign ministers held talks on the sidelines of the G20 Rome Summit, the first ever in-person bilateral meeting since the onset of COVID. China and Mexico maintained close communication and coordination on major regional and international issues such as opposing COVID politicization, reform of the United Nations and its Security Council, global economic governance, Asia-Pacific regional cooperation, and China-Latin America cooperation.

The two countries conducted fruitful anti-COVID cooperation. Chinese vaccine companies exported finished and bulk COVID vaccines to Mexico, launched phase-III clinical trials of vaccines there, and cooperated with local firms on joint vaccine filling and production. Mexico was among the earliest to approve the emergency use of SINOVAC, CanSino and Sinopharm vaccines, contributing to WHO’s decision to include Chinese vaccines in its Emergency Use Listing.

Economic and trade cooperation between the two countries continued to advance. The ninth Conference of China-Mexico High-level Working Group was held online. Two-way trade increased significantly by 41.9 percent. Aeromexico Airlines opened a regular freight route from Wuhan to Mexico City, which filled the gap of direct air freight services from the Chinese mainland to Latin America and contributed to the stable supply chains and economic reopening of China and Latin America. Mexican projects with the participation of Chinese companies in infrastructure, energy, telecommunications and industrial parks progressed steadily.