MEXICO · CHINA TRADE
Key Facts
- The news Mexico’s president said on 5 November that a bilateral meeting with China’s president Xi Jinping will take place.
- The trip Sheinbaum leaves Mexico on Sunday 15 November and returns around 20 November.
- The summit APEC’s leaders’ meeting, a Pacific Rim forum, is on 18 and 19 November in Shenzhen, China.
- Not set She gave no day or time for the talks, and Trump’s attendance is unconfirmed, she said.
- Power Index Mexico ranks 2nd of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 70.8 points (November 2026 edition).
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirms meeting with Xi Jinping, China’s president, on a trip to China that starts on 15 November. She said on Thursday 5 November that a bilateral meeting with Xi and members of his government will take place.
The talks follow Mexico’s decision to raise tariffs on Chinese goods, which took effect on 1 January 2026. For US readers, the meeting shows how Mexico, a partner of the US and Canada in the USMCA trade pact, handles its dealings with China.
Sheinbaum Confirms Meeting With Xi, Not Yet a Date
At her daily morning news conference on 5 November, a reporter asked whether Mexico is working on bilateral meetings at the summit. Sheinbaum answered that several are set and that Mexico will announce them soon.
She then said there will be a bilateral meeting with China’s government, with China’s president and with members of the Chinese government. In that answer she gave no day or time.
The Summit and the Trip
The meeting would take place around the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, known as APEC, in Shenzhen, China. APEC’s secretariat says the Economic Leaders’ Week begins on 14 November and ends with the leaders’ meeting on 19 November.
Sheinbaum said she leaves Mexico in the early hours of Sunday 15 November and is back in the early hours of 20 November. She added that the interior ministry, which handles domestic politics, will run the morning news conferences that week.
She said she hopes to join some of those conferences by video link. Two days of flights and the time difference mean she is away almost the whole week.
In Plain English, Who Is Who
Claudia Sheinbaum is Mexico’s president and takes reporters’ questions at a daily morning news conference. Xi Jinping is China’s president, and Donald Trump is the US president.
APEC is a forum of 21 Pacific Rim economies, including Mexico, China and the United States, that works on trade and investment. This year China chairs it, under the theme Building an Asia-Pacific Community to Prosper Together.
Mexico’s Tariffs on Chinese Goods
In December 2025 Mexico’s Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of Congress, approved higher tariffs on imports from countries without a trade deal with Mexico. China, South Korea, India, Vietnam and Thailand are among them.
The law covers 17 sectors and 1,463 tariff lines, from car parts and light cars to clothing and steel. The tariffs took effect on 1 January 2026, as our report on Mexico’s 50% car tariff explains.
Mexico Hosts APEC in 2028
APEC lists Mexico as a host in 2028, after China in 2026 and Viet Nam in 2027. APEC says artificial intelligence is expected to feature prominently at this year’s leaders’ meeting.
APEC’s policy unit projects its economies to grow 3.4 percent in 2026, up from 3.2 percent last year. It expects inflation to rise from 2.4 percent to 3.2 percent.
What It Means for You
For US readers, a Mexico-China meeting matters because Mexico shares the USMCA trade pact with the US and Canada. In her answer Sheinbaum named no topics for the Xi talks, so US companies will watch for any mention of trade, tariffs or investment.
Sheinbaum also said she wants to meet Trump if he attends, as our earlier report on her request for Trump talks describes. She said there is still no confirmation that he will go.
What Is Not Known
The day, place and agenda of the Xi meeting are not set. Sheinbaum’s office can answer, and she said the bilateral meetings would be announced soon, before she leaves on 15 November.
Whether Trump will attend the leaders’ meeting on 19 November is also open. The White House can say, and Sheinbaum said on 5 November that Mexico had no confirmation.
More: Latin America news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
When will Sheinbaum meet Xi Jinping?
She has not given a date. She said on 5 November that details will be announced soon, and her trip runs from 15 to about 20 November.
Where is the APEC leaders’ meeting?
It takes place in Shenzhen, China, on 18 and 19 November 2026. APEC’s Leaders’ Week starts on 14 November.
Will Sheinbaum meet Donald Trump in China?
She said she wants to meet him if he attends. She added on 5 November that there is no confirmation that Trump will go.
Why do Mexico’s tariffs on China matter?
They raise import tariffs on 1,463 tariff lines for countries without a trade deal with Mexico, China among them. They took effect on 1 January 2026 and cover 17 sectors.
Sources: Presidency of Mexico, stenographic version of the news conference of President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, 5 November 2026; APEC Secretariat, APEC Advances Trade, AI Cooperation Ahead of Leaders’ Week, November 2026; APEC Secretariat, 2025 Leaders’ Gyeongju Declaration (host years); Mexican Congress, Chamber of Deputies vote on import tariff reform, 10 December 2025.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief