China wants Mexico to protect rights of Chinese firms

China Railway Construction re-bids for Mexico project, by Xinhua

MEXICO CITY - A China-Mexico joint consortium will tender again a bid on Wednesday for a high-speed railway project in Mexico after the Latin American country abruptly annulled its win two months ago.

The Chinese-led consortium, formed by the China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) and several Mexican construction firms, won the bid last November to build a 210-km high-speed railway connecting Mexico City with the industrial hub of Queretaro to the north. However, Mexico revoked the $4.4 billion deal days later out of domestic issues.

Despite the high-profile setback, the Chinese enterprise has decided to re-enter the bidding for the railway project, as it is well-qualified for the projects.

With abundant operation experiences, the CRCC has had advanced, reliable and cost-efficient high-speed railway technologies.

To date, it has participated in the construction of dozens of overseas railway construction projects, including the Turkish high-speed railway from Ankara to Istanbul.

Along with the overseas deals, the company has also built a great number of high-speed railway lines that crisscross the vast regions with different geographies at home.

Besides, the Chinese railway industry also has comparative advantages in construction technologies, cost control, and productivity of labor.

It is highly hoped that the Mexican government should guarantee a fair competition this time for the Chinese enterprising investment in the country.

As a developing country, China has viewed China-Mexico economic and trade cooperation from a strategic perspective and has insisted on win-win cooperation based on equality and mutual trust.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang urged, during the first ministerial meeting of the China-CELAC forum concluded last week, Latin Amercian countries to provide a fair competition environment and impartial legal protection for Chinese goods such as equipment entering local markets.

Without huge investment projects in previous economic cooperation between the two countries, investment of Chinese companies in Mexico's high-speed railway construction will help drive the development of bilateral ties forward. It will not only benefit the Chinese railway industry, but will also bring job opportunities to Mexico.

The enhancement of cooperation between China and Mexico in high-speed rail constructin is in line with the consensus reached between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Mexican counterpart Enrique Pena Nieto in June 2013, when the Mexican president promised that his country was willing to create favorable conditions to attract more Chinese investment.

Now, it is time for the Mexican government to fulfill the pledge and create a fair investment and operation environment for the Chinese rail enterprise to achieve win-win results.