Mexico City, April 21, 2023.- “Foreign investment, particularly from the United States due to its proximity to the market, has great challenges that have to do with well-being. We cannot think, as was the Free Trade Agreement in 1994, that the only thing that matters is investment per se or GDP growth. The great challenge is that these investments have a geographical redistribution and generate well-being”, explained Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, during the sixth edition of the forum “The city and transformation”, which addressed the topic of nearshoring.
The head of government of the CDMX recalled how the vision focused only on investment generated problems in border cities such as Tijuana and Ciudad Juárez, where there was no adequate infrastructure, such as housing, hospitals and schools, nor decent wages to guarantee quality of life. and the guarantee of the fundamental and social rights of the maquila workers* who settled in that area; “They generated jobs and growth, but not well-being,” she added.
In this sense, Sheinbaum Pardo stressed that while the current global geopolitical situation represents a great opportunity for economic growth for Mexico, especially due to its proximity to the United States and the political differences of this country with China, it also implies important challenges in terms of of rights.
He commented that last weekend, in his meeting with the governor of Nuevo León, Samuel García, he raised the issue by expressing his concern about the infrastructure and public services that must be ensured to guarantee the quality of life of those close to 7 thousand Tesla workers. The question is “to take advantage not only in terms of investment, but also that it implies decent jobs and wages, which represents the hope of a better life. In the end, that translates into well-being ”, he commented.
Said forum entitled “Nearshoring, a great opportunity to grow” also had the participation of Silvia Dávila, president of Danone Latam; Altagracia Gómez, Business Promoter of the West, and Salvador Daniel, CEO of Grupo Danhos, representatives of the business sector, who in their speeches agreed with the head of government regarding the need to grow in economic terms in a sustainable manner and dialogue with the government for the development of responsible economic policies with the people.
In this regard, the head of government celebrated two great successes of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador in consensus with the business sector: the first, the improvement of work environments through the increase in the minimum wage, the reform of the pension system, the regulation of outsourcing and the democratization of the organization of workers.
“Mexico today is one, compared to what it was in 2018, and it was achieved by consensus,” added Sheinbaum Pardo, before recognizing the second success of the federal government: inflation control. “It is not that there was an imposition by the government, but rather that businessmen who have to do with the production and marketing of food were called and an important control of the inflation of basic basket products was achieved. I think that this experience must continue to be promoted”.
Finally, he pointed out that, although well-being and economic prosperity have different interests, “if we all look for the interest of the people, for the best conditions and life expectancy, particularly for young people, really this opportunity that is being generated by the global geopolitics will really have a very provisional future for the country.”
