Mexico says it is willing to throw its relationship with the U.S. wide open as it as it seeks to avoid a major economic shock while grappling with a Trump administration.
Trump has threatened to tear up a trade agreement that underpins Mexico's export model unless the country renegotiate terms in Trump's favor. This has battered the peso, Mexico's currency and is fueling uncertainty over foreign investment.
In a speech to diplomats Wednesday in Mexico City, President Enrique Peña Nieto said the country would take a broad approach to the challenge, seeking a settlement that would benefit both Mexico and the United States as he looks to carve out a platform that gives him room for maneuver in talks.
Peña Nieto said the U.S. government shared responsibility for migrants seeking to reach the United States, and should also work to stop the southward flow of weapons and illicit funds that help finance Mexican organized crime.
Mexican officials point to a jump in deportations of illegal immigrants under Peña Nieto, and to the country's importance in working with U.S. law enforcement to combat rising U.S. demand for lethal drugs such as heroin smuggled in from Mexico.
If Trump seeks to hurt Mexico on trade, there is little incentive for the Mexican government to go out of its way on behalf of the United States on other issues, they argue.
