Governor Meets With Mexico’s President, Administration Officials on Issues of Mutual Interest to U.S-Mexico Border Region

OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
Arnold Schwarzenegger

5/29/2008
Today, as part of a two-day trip to Mexico City and in his capacity as chair of the 26th Annual Border Governor's Conference, Governor Schwarzenegger met with President Felipe Calderón and governors from U.S. and Mexican border states. Governor Schwarzenegger also attended a series of meetings with Mexican federal officials today including the Secretaries of the Interior, Foreign Affairs, Economy, Treasury, Communications and Transportation, Social Development, Environment and the Director General of the National Council for Science and Technology to build support on issues relating to trade, the environment and security.In August, Governor Schwarzenegger will chair the 26th Annual Border Governor's Conference, themed "Building Green Economies," in Hollywood, California. The conference will be attended by governors from Arizona, Baja California, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, New Mexico, Sonora, Tamaulipas and Texas. At the conference, these states will address the many cross-border issues impacting them, including agriculture, security, economic development, education, energy, environment, health and tourism. The Governor is committed to continuing to build California's relationship with Mexico. This week's trip builds on the Governor's efforts to open new markets, attract new investments and build the partnerships necessary to expand California's international trade with Mexico, pump up the state's economy and improve the environment on both sides of the border. In the last couple years, the Governor has:
Led a delegation of border governors in meetings with cabinet officials in Washington D.C. in February.
Hosted México President Calderón in Sacramento in February and signed an MOU to boost collaboration on environmental protection between California and Mexico.
Participated in the 25th Border Governors Conference in September 2007 in Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, and signed a joint declaration to continue fostering cooperation between the border states.
Offered critical assistance to México following devastating floods in southern Mexico in November 2007.
Led more than 60 members of the agriculture, tourism and business communities on a two-day trade mission to Mexico City and Monterrey, Mexico in November 2006.
Strengthening ties with Mexico is key to our current and future economic health. Boosting trade, tourism and goods movement between California and Mexico creates jobs and helps our economies grow.
Mexico is California's top trade partner. Mexico is California's number one export market, with $19.6 billion in export trade flowing to Mexico from California. These exports sustain thousands of California businesses and support nearly 200,000 jobs.
Since 2002, California's agricultural exports to Mexico have nearly doubled in value, making it one of the state's fastest growing export markets. Mexico alone accounts for 15 percent of California's annual goods exports.
California's agricultural exports to Mexico represent an estimated 5 percent of the total U.S. agricultural exports to this market.
Mexico is California's top international tourism market. According to the California Travel and Tourism Commission, California had approximately 8.6 million Mexican visitors in 2005.
While here, visitors from Mexico spent an estimated $1.6 billion in California, ranking first among all international markets.