Mexico’s president urges US to end 'disdain' for Latin America

By Jorge Antonio Rocha

MEXICO CITY (AA) - Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador spoke with his US counterpart Joe Biden ahead of the 10th North American Leaders’ Summit in Mexico City, asking him to support the Latin American region.

At the bilateral meeting, Lopez Obrador championed the US-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) trade agreement while noting that the North American region made up of the three countries should be the front line in the face of Asia's economic expansion.

In addition, the Mexican leader pointed out that per capita consumption in the Americas is $18,100 per year, while in Asia, it is $4,400.

"The trade agreement between Canada, Mexico and the United States has proven to be a valuable instrument for consolidating our productive processes, taking advantage of the great potential represented by the domestic market in our region. However, the arrival of ships full of goods from Asia continues to grow in our Pacific ports," said Lopez Obrador.

According to Lopez Obrador, Latin America is a crucial player in the future economic landscape. He noted that in more than half a century, there has not been a real economic effort to boost development and wealth creation in Latin America, calling for its integration into North American production lines.

"Joining and partnering in the Americas is the ultimate consolidation of the world's most important region. There are many advantages. Among others, we have a young and creative workforce, technological development, and a wealth of natural resources. The distances between our countries allow us to save on transportation costs, and there is sufficient demand in our markets," he said.

Lopez Obrador cited the Alliance for Progress initiative, an economic and development effort posed by then US President John F. Kennedy to counteract Soviet influence in the 1960s.

He said the $10 billion pushed by the Kennedy administration was the last attempt from the US to develop the Latin American region.

"Consequently, I maintain that it is time to end this neglect, this abandonment, this disdain for Latin America and the Caribbean," he added.

For his part, President Biden said the US provides more overseas assistance than any other country combined.

“Unfortunately, our responsibility does not end with the Western Hemisphere. We are in the center of Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia, so I wish we could focus on just one region, but we focus on multiple regions, and this is what we have to work on,” he said.