MEXICO CITY: Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton is leading a delegation to the capitol of Mexico this week to try to boost trade with the country.
He brought the mayors of Tucson, Mesa, Surprise, Nogales and Yuma along with him, as well as more than 30 Arizona business leaders and economic development experts.
After years of conflict over immigration issues with Mexico, like the controversy over Arizona law S.B. 1070, the mayor said that this is a huge step in the state’s discourse with Mexico.
“I believe this is a page-turning moment for Arizona in our relationship with Mexico, and it’s to benefit both our respective economies,” Stanton said in a press release. “We are going to show Mexico City the real Arizona.”
This is the mayor’s 13th economic development trip to Mexico since he took office in 2012 and it comes on the heels of a few major economic connections between Arizona and Mexico.
Last month, Mexico opened a ProMexico economic development office in Phoenix, and TAP Royal Bus Lines just opened a new station in West Phoenix.
On the first day of the trip Monday, Stanton and the Arizona delegation met with leaders of ProMexico, the government’s international economic development arm, and toured Startup Mexico, the country’s top tech-hub incubator.
A video posted to his Twitter page showed the mayor riding an electric bike at the startup offices.
There, the Arizona Technology Council signed a memorandum of understanding to help tech startups in both countries find new markets across the border.
Mayor Stanton is also set to sign an understanding with the mayor of Mexico City.
Nationally, exports are declining, but Stanton said that Arizona is bucking that trend, as the state’s trade with Mexico is rapidly expanding.
“This is a very important trip to solidify and expand on those gains,” he said.
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