News | Climate Change

http://www.koreaherald.com/national/Detail.jsp?newsMLId=20100706000869

The foreign ministers of South Korea and Mexico on Tuesday met to discuss follow-up measures for cementing stronger ties following a recent summit between the countries.

During their talks, Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan and his Mexican counterpart Patricia Espinosa Cantellano agreed to cooperate on widening diplomatic relations and ties in other areas.
The two also discussed ways of meeting new challenges amid changes in the global climate, and working to cooperate on pursuing environmentally friendly economic growth.
Mexico is expected to play a critical part in such discussions as the 16th U.N. Climate Change Conference is scheduled to take place in Cancun from Nov. 29-Dec.10.
Espinosa’s visit comes following a summit meeting between President Lee Myung-bak and his Mexican counterpart Felipe Calderon in Mexico City last week.
The two leaders said they would step up efforts to resume talks for achieving a free trade agreement. They said such efforts are part of their campaign for upgrading their diplomatic ties currently stated as a “strategic partnership.”
With these and other measures aimed to buttress their bilateral relationship, the two said they hoped to take the partnership to a new, higher level.
Korean and Mexican companies have already reached a series of agreements to expand their cooperation in energy, construction and trade.
Mexico is South Korea’s largest trading partner in Latin America, and South Korea is Mexico‘s sixth biggest. Their two-way trade volume totaled over $8 billion in 2009.
More than 1,400 South Korean firms currently operate in Mexico. Most of these companies manufacture electronic goods, steel and automobile parts. They employ about 40,000 local workers.