Chinese President Xi Jinping held a series of meetings with Indo-Pacific leaders following his meeting with President Joe Biden, as competition between China and the United States intensifies. Xi engaged in individual talks with the leaders of Mexico, Peru, and Fiji, and planned to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida later, all on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.
During his meeting with Peruvian President Dina Boluarte, Xi emphasized the need to strengthen economic and trade cooperation between the two countries. He also pledged China’s support for Peru as the host of next year’s APEC leaders’ summit. Xi specifically mentioned China’s willingness to import more high-quality agricultural products from Peru and encouraged Chinese businesses to participate in major projects in the country.
Furthermore, Xi held talks with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, commending his leadership and reform efforts. The meeting marked the first face-to-face encounter between the two leaders. They agreed to deepen cooperation on counternarcotics efforts, with a focus on preventing the flow of fentanyl precursors to Mexico and subsequently to the United States. Both leaders expressed their commitment to collaborating in industries such as infrastructure, finance, and electric vehicles. Lopez Obrador assured that Mexico would facilitate Chinese investments and expressed a willingness to work with China on multilateral affairs and promote relations between China and Latin America.
In recent years, several Chinese businesses have relocated some production to Mexico to mitigate the impact of tariffs and restrictions imposed by the US government. Xi expressed his sympathy for those affected by Hurricane Otis and assured Mexico of emergency arrangements to procure relief supplies.
Xi also met with Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, affirming Beijing’s regard for Fiji as a “good friend and partner” in the Global South, which refers to developing countries.
Overall, these meetings highlight China’s efforts to strengthen its relationships and influence in the Indo-Pacific region. Xi’s four-hour meeting with President Biden the day before also demonstrated the importance of engaging with key regional leaders.
