Blinken set to visit Mexico with eyes on energy

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Mexico next month with energy at the top of the agenda, Mexican foreign minister Marcelo Ebrard has confirmed.

“It will be the first few days of September, I estimate around September 11-12,” Ebrard was quoted as saying by daily El Economista. “We have several important advances in terms of investments. We're going to introduce them there."

The visit is a continuation of the US-Mexico High-Level Economic Dialogue resumed in September 2021 after a four-year hiatus.

Ebrard confirmed that the topics of discussion would include semiconductor production, electromobility and medical equipment, adding they would discuss advances in investments made to strengthen cross-border supply chains and other projects.

The announcement came on the eve of the first day of consultations with US and Canadian trade representatives under the dispute resolution process established in the USMCA free trade agreement.

The US filed the dispute in July, alleging Mexican discrimination against US and Canadian energy firms in favor of state-owned power company CFE and national oil company Pemex.

Tuesday’s consultations, held virtually, represented the first formal step in a process that could take a year or more to conclude and potentially result in punitive tariffs against Mexico.

Ebrard said it was not yet confirmed whether Blinken would meet with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO).

The minister added that AMLO is set to express Mexico’s position regarding the trilateral treaty and national sovereignty, especially in the area of energy, on September 16, Mexican independence day.

Pictured: Ebrard (left) met with Blinken (right) May 3, 2022, in Washington DC.