2010-07-19 16:16

MEXICO CITY - More than 200 Chinese companies have expressed their interest in the Mexican market, a senior Mexican official said at the weekend.

Eduardo Seldner Avila, commissioner of the Mexico Pavilion at the World Expo in Shanghai, told Xinhua that since the World Expo in Shanghai opened two months ago, the Mexico Pavilion has attracted more and more Chinese visitors, many of them senior executive officers of the Chinese companies.

"Many Chinese companies have shown their interest in making investment in carrying out big projects in Mexico's different sectors," Seldner said, adding that many Mexican companies are also interested in cooperation with their Chinese counterparts.

Three Chinese companies are now holding talks with their Mexican counterparts, including former Mexican Economy Minister Gerardo Ruiz Mateos, on jointly carrying out a big mining project in Mexico, he said.

According to Seldner, Mexico is a large mining country in the Americas, ranking the 12th place in the world. "We have a sustainable mining. We are very interested in cooperating with other countries in mining sector. And China is now one of the main actors in the world's mining sector," he said.

Seldner said there would be a seminar on infrastructure in August in Mexico and five Mexican ministers would travel to China to seek the Chinese technology and investment for some specific projects in Mexico.

With a mining history of some 500 years, Mexico is the world's top silver producer and the world's fifth oil producer. So far, more than 50 kinds of minerals have been found in the country, including oil, natural gas, silver, lead, zinc, copper, mercury, iron, bismuth, gold and molybdenum.

Meanwhile, Seldner said, Mexican companies are also interested in doing businesses with the Chinese companies. He cited a Mexican salt company in Guerrero Negro which is now negotiating with a Chinese company on salt export.