Secretary Velasco and Minister Motegi agree to establish a Working Group to expand and strengthen Mexico-Japan relations
- Both countries announced the launch of the High-Level Economic Dialogue to boost cooperation in sectors such as artificial intelligence, the digital economy, and supply chain resilience.
- A joint program against sargassum will be launched to mitigate its impact on the Caribbean Sea.
Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco Álvarez and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi discussed this afternoon their mutual interest in further strengthening bilateral relations within the framework of the Global Strategic Partnership established in 2011.
The head of the SRE took the opportunity to express the solidarity of the people and Government of Mexico for the regrettable loss of human lives and the damage caused by the earthquakes that shook the Kumamoto prefecture on July 28, a gesture that his Japanese counterpart appreciated.
At the meeting, they agreed to establish a Working Group to advance new areas of collaboration that will contribute to strengthening bilateral relations in the political, economic, and scientific and technological cooperation spheres for the coming decades. In this regard, they noted that 2027 will mark the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations.
Both officials acknowledged during their meeting the excellent state of bilateral trade relations, a result of mechanisms such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), of which both countries are members; they also mentioned the possibilities of expanding Japanese investments as part of the Mexico Plan, committing to work closely together for the continuous improvement of the business environment.
They also exchanged views on regional and international issues, such as the challenges in the Asia-Pacific region and collaboration in forums such as the G20, and expressed their commitment to strengthening dialogue and multilateral cooperation to respond to the challenges of a changing international context.
In a joint statement to the media, they announced the launch of the High-Level Economic Dialogue, a mechanism that will allow for an increase in bilateral trade, which, from January to May 2026 alone, amounted to 9.9 billion dollars, representing a 4% increase compared to the same period of the previous year.
“The dialogue this year has been constant and at a high level: direct contact between President Sheinbaum and Prime Minister Takaichi, ongoing communication between foreign ministers, and the eleventh meeting of the political consultation mechanism […] Through the High-Level Economic Dialogue, we will promote collaboration in artificial intelligence and the digital economy, and strengthen the economic resilience of both countries and strategic supply chains,” Velasco Álvarez stated.
Furthermore, within the framework of development cooperation between the cooperation agencies of both countries, the upcoming launch of a joint program to address the sargassum problem was announced, which will strengthen capacities and contribute to mitigating the situation facing the Caribbean Sea.
During the visit, the foreign ministers toured an exhibit of historical documents on the Mexico-Japan relationship, provided by the Diplomatic Historical Archive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which testifies to 138 years of exchanges.
: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico