Japan, Mexico agree on efforts to resist protectionism, climate change+

TOKYO, Dec. 8 Kyodo - Japan and Mexico reaffirmed their efforts Monday to resist protectionism amid the ongoing global financial crisis and their foreign ministers, meeting in Tokyo, also agreed to join hands in tackling other global issues including climate change, a Japanese Foreign Ministry official said.

As Japan and Mexico will both begin their respective two-year terms as
nonpermanent members of the U.N. Security Council next year, visiting Mexican
Foreign Minister Patricia Espinosa and her Japanese counterpart Hirofumi
Nakasone agreed to cooperate closely and engage in constructive dialogue on
U.N. reforms, they said in a joint press release.
Espinosa, who is on her third visit to Japan as foreign minister, also met
separately with Prime Minister Taro Aso earlier Monday. They shared the view
that a post-2012 emissions framework would not be realistic and effective
unless it wins the participation of all major greenhouse gas emitting nations,
according to the official.
In Monday's foreign ministerial talks, Nakasone extended an invitation for a
group of Mexican parliamentarians and government officials to visit Japan in
January in response to Mexican President Felipe Calderon's interest in Japan's
energy-saving technologies.
Espinosa also accepted Nakasone's invitation for her to take part in the
foreign ministerial meeting when Japan hosts the next Forum for East Asia-Latin
America Cooperation eyed for 2009 or later.
In exchanging views on the global financial crisis and economic situations in
Japan and Mexico, Nakasone was quoted by the official as telling Espinosa, ''In
order to suppress protectionism, it is necessary to seek the conclusion of the
Doha Round of free trade negotiations at the World Trade Organization.''
Espinosa responded by noting that Mexico has learned from its own experience
that turning to protectionism would only further worsen one's economy, and
therefore Mexico would proactively urge others to also resist protectionism,
the official said.
Meanwhile, she expressed hope that Japanese companies would show interest and
invest in infrastructure building in Mexico under an economic stimulus package
recently announced by Calderon.
The two ministers said in the press statement they welcomed a leaders'
declaration issued at the financial summit in Washington last month and
reaffirmed their ''strong support'' for common principles on reforms for the
financial market.
They also agreed to further high-level political dialogue between the two
nations and exchanged views on the achievements of the Japan-Mexico economic
partnership agreement, which took effect about four years ago, according to the
press statement.
In particular, the Mexican side expressed hopes of expanding opportunities for
Japanese investments in the infrastructure and energy sectors as review
negotiations are expected to take place next year or thereafter.
This year marks the 120th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two nations.