Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum met with Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne and Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand on Tuesday, as the two senior federal ministers are in Mexico City to discuss increased trade.
Sheinbaum posted three photos of the meeting on X Tuesday afternoon, saying, “We strengthened the relationship between our countries.”
In a statement to CBC News, Champagne said Canada’s relationship with Mexico “has never been stronger, or more important.”
The trip is the first public, in-person meeting between Canadian and Mexican officials since Prime Minister Mark Carney was elected. It takes place as tensions mount in a trade war with their shared neighbour, the United States.
Carney has said he plans to travel to Mexico City in the fall to meet with Sheinbaum.
The two leaders met in June at the G7 leaders’ summit in Alberta, where Sheinbaum gifted Carney a Huichol bead art soccer ball.
“As we strive to provide more certainty and diversify our export markets, forging closer partnerships like the one we enjoy with Mexico is how we can chart a new way forward with partners we can trust,” Champagne said in his statement Tuesday.
He added that he and Anand are meeting with leaders in a number of industries, including banking, mining, aerospace, railways, pension, pharmaceutical and agri-food, as well as chambers of commerce “to deepen trade and catalyze investment.”
