The elected president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaumnamed this Thursday the heads of the Chancellery and the Secretariat (ministry) of Economy, who will have as main task the relationship with the United States, the country’s largest trading partner.
The new Chancellor will be Juan Ramón de la Fuentewho previously served as Mexico’s representative to the United Nations, and who from 2007 to 2013 was rector of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), one of the main universities in Latin America.
In the Ministry of Economyin charge of reviewing the T-MEC free trade agreement with the United States and Canada towards 2026, Sheinbaum appointed Marcelo Ebrardchancellor during the government of outgoing president Andrés Manuel López Obrador and with whom he disputed the presidential candidacy of the left-wing ruling party.
Both officials will be in charge of the relationship with the United Stateswhere presidential elections will be held on November 5 in which the current Democratic president, Joe Biden, is vying for re-election against former Republican president Donald Trump.
Mexico is the main trading partner of the United Statesafter displacing China in 2023. The northern country is the destination of 80% of Mexican exports.
The bilateral relationship is also marked by the incessant migration of undocumented people and fentanyl trafficking, powerful opioid that kills thousands of people from overdoses in the United States each year.
“I feel very proud, happy that those who are here today have agreed to be part of our team,” said the president-elect during a press conference in Mexico City.
Sheinbaum, the first woman to become the Mexican president, will take office on October 1. The leader had already ratified the Secretary of the Treasury, Rogelio Ramírez de la O, amid nervousness in the markets.
“A more protectionist and unstable world”
After his appointment, Ebrard declared that among the responsibilities of the new team is to face a “more protectionist” and “more unstable” world. “The task is then to overcome those stormy waters with everything we have learned in our lives,” he said.
For his part, De la Fuente told the press that there are “many challenges” on the international agenda but he said he was prepared to “face them, looking above all to the interests of the people of Mexico.”
De la Fuente is a well-known figure in politics, as he has a long career alongside governments of different types in various functions. The future Secretary of Foreign Affairs was already part of the PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party) government of President Ernesto Zedillo, in which he served as Secretary of Health from 1994 to 1999.
With the northern neighbor
Firstly there is the relationship with the United States, where the former president Donald Trump (2017-2021), very belligerent with Mexico, could return to the White House after the November elections, which could imply a change after the good harmony that exists with the government of the current president, Joe Biden.
However, whoever wins, one of the keys to the bilateral relationship will be the review of the Treaty between Mexico, the United States and Canada (T-MEC), the destination of more than 80% of Mexican exports and the main engine of the economy. national, whose negotiations will begin in 2025.
The relationship with Ecuador
Other challenges for the next chancellor will be Mexico’s lawsuit against Ecuador in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) after the assault on the Mexican Embassy in Quito on April 5, and the repair of broken ties with Peru, a partner in the Pacific Alliance, after the declaration of ‘persona non grata’ by the Mexican ambassador in Lima.
“The international agenda will have continuity because there are many very good things that must be consolidated and maintained. And also incorporate some changes depending on the circumstances,” explained the new secretary after announcing his appointment.
De la Fuente highlighted the “Mexico’s long diplomatic tradition of excellence and mediating country” and pledged “to honor those traditions.”
Environment and agriculture
Sheinbaum also announced that the current chancellor, Alicia Bárcena, will be secretary of the Environment and Natural Resources. Before becoming chancellor, Bárcena served as executive secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).
The president-elect also said that the Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development will be headed by Julio Berdegué, who was deputy director general and representative for Latin America and the Caribbean of the United Nations Agency for Food and Agriculture (FAO).
In addition, Rosaura Ruiz, doctor in Biology from UNAM, will head the Secretariat of Science, Humanities, Technology and Innovation.
Ernestina Godoy, who was Mexico City prosecutor during Sheinbaum’s tenure as mayor, will serve as Legal Advisor to the Presidency.
The new president, who won the elections on June 2 by more than 30 percentage points over the center-right Xóchitl Gálvez, announced that next Thursday she will announce other appointments. The ruling party is also on track to have supermajorities in the bicameral Congress.
