SAN ANTONIO – For her first official trip as ambassador of Mexico to the United States, Martha Bárcena Coqui visited San Antonio this weekend.
Bárcena Coqui met with community and government leaders, including Rep. Lloyd Doggett, where she discussed topics including immigration, environment, rules of origin in the automotive sector and trade.
At the forefront of those conversations is the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, which replaces the North American Free Trade Agreement.
"We exchanged points of views on the areas in which there might be some concerns, like labor laws in Mexico that are already going to be amended and submitted to the Mexican Congress," Bárcena Coqui said. "These amendments and new laws (are) to comply with the USMCA."
This week, members of the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce will be visiting members of Congress to discuss the ratification of the trinational trade deal. Leading the group of more than 175 members is the president and CEO of the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, Richard Pérez. The focus will be to meet with the new members of Congress who may not understand the impact USMCA has in Texas.
"Our goal is to convince them that this is the right thing, not only for San Antonio and Texas, but for the entire country," Pérez said.
On Wednesday, members of the group will be greeted by Bárcena Coqui at the Mexican Cultural Institute. The Mexican ambassador added that she feels "thrilled that the local authorities recognize their relevance to Mexico."
Bárcena Coqui is Mexico's first female ambassador and has close to 15 years of experience as an international diplomat.