The Foreign Policy of Mexico in Asia the Perspective of the Fourth Transformation

Abstract

The 2018 presidential elections in Mexico marked a historical precedent, with the victory of Andrés Manuel López Obrador, in the presidency. Although foreign policy in Mexico is regulated through constitutional principles, the paradigm shift towards the so-called “Fourth Transformation”, that includes new processes, in structures, within the State. With this, it is intended to modify dynamics, mainly within the institutions, and their different actors, in the political and economic framework, from the perspective of decision-making and main functions. Hence, the present paper, has as main objective, to identify the economic interests of Mexico posed by the new government, to relate them to the proposal for the new dynamics of foreign policy. It is based on the assumption that, despite the fact that the new government intends to carry out a dynamic of political and economic diversification abroad, concrete actions have not yet materialized, in Asia, for example, with China, Japan and South Korea; and with the United States, the main trading partner, although progress was made with the negotiation processes of the new T-MEC trade agreement, the political capacity and positioning of the new government, compared to its main trading partner, are not clear in any of its edges. Therefore, the work develops a descriptive and analytical methodology, of the dynamics of the new government, considering the foreign policy actions and approaches, towards its main trade partners in the Asia region.