Country Profile
From The Report: Mexico 2018
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The Mexico-US bilateral relationship has been strained as a result of President Donald Trump’s administration and aggressive discourse, including the demand that Mexico pay for a border wall, an insistence on renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement and the deployment of US troops to the border. Nevertheless, the recent volatility of its ongoing relationship with the US has sounded a warning bell for Mexico, encouraging it to diversify its trade links and seek out new markets, and to that end, the recent Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership could serve it well. This chapter contains interviews with Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany; Sebastián Piñera Echenique, President of Chile; and Liam Fox, UK Secretary of State for International Trade.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Place of transition: A country of diversity, Mexico is a bridge between regions
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Strategically located between the Americas, Europe and Asia, Mexico is Latin America’s second-largest economy after Brazil, and has established itself as an important manufacturing and export power, particularly since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1994. The country has significant oil, gas and mineral reserves, a young population, public and private universities, and a booming tourism industry that is bolstered by an extensive coastline and a range of…

Viewpoint

With open arms: Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany, on flourishing mutual investment and the prerequisites for future development
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Viewpoint :Angela Merkel Mexico has become the 12th-largest industrial nation in the world, with, in particular, a highly innovative automotive sector. According to estimates, Mexico will produce some 4m cars in 2018, making it the seventh-largest automobile manufacturer in the world, and that production is set to rise. Let me extend my sincere congratulations to you, [President Enrique Peña Nieto], in the stead of the many people who have helped accomplish this feat, and let me congratulate…

Overview

In process: The republic seeks stability through diversifying trade links and forming relationships with new markets
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Mexico is a federal republic constituted by the legislative, executive and judiciary branches of government. The Congress of the Union consists of two chambers: a Chamber of Deputies with 500 members, elected every three years, and a Senate composed of 128 representatives, elected every six years. In both cases, seats are chosen through a combination of direct election and proportional representation. The executive branch is held by the president, who is elected for a single six-year term. The judicial…

Analysis

Clearing the way: Promoting security and transparency will enable the incoming administration to pursue a growth agenda
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As the new government, headed by Andrés Manuel López Obrador, of the National Regeneration Movement, prepares to take office in December 2018, the intertwined challenges of security, corruption and economic growth will be at the forefront of the political agenda, with the incoming administration working to meet the promises of the campaign trail to secure further growth via investment and efficient use of state resources. In addition to protecting citizens from kidnappings, disappearances and extortion…

Overview

Business Barometer: Mexico CEO Survey
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Against the backdrop of critical national elections and the ongoing renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, 2018 was likely to be a turbulent year for Mexico. In spite of this, the business community remains highly optimistic. In the latest OBG Business Barometer: Mexico CEO Survey, conducted between September 2017 and March 2018, 88% of the more than 150 executives polled had positive or very positive expectations of local business conditions, up eight points on the previous survey. However, respondents said tackling corruption (36%) and improving the rule of law (19%) should be the main priorities for the new administration. For…