Germany–Mexico relations

German-Mexican relations

Germany
Mexico

Germany–Mexico relations refers to the diplomatic relations between Germany and Mexico. Both nations are members of the G-20 major economies, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the United Nations.

History

FRG Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher attending the North–South Summit in Cancun along with Mexican President José López Portillo, 1981
Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and former Mexican President Vicente Fox; 2002

One of the first contacts between Germany and Mexico was via the expedition of Alexander von Humboldt who arrived in Mexico in 1803 and remained for one year mapping Mexican topography and studying its culture and history. Diplomatic relations between Mexico and Germany were established on 23 January 1879 after the unification of Germany.[1]

During the Spanish Civil War, Mexico and Germany supported opposing sides of the conflict, with Mexico supporting the Republicans and Nazi Germany supporting the Nationalists. This indirectly put Mexico and Germany against each other.

During World War I (1914-1918) Mexico remained neutral. During this time, Mexico was preoccupied with its revolution (1910-1920) which took place the same time as World War I. In January 1917, British agents intercepted a telegram sent to German Ambassador to Mexico Heinrich von Eckardt by Arthur Zimmermann, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the German Empire. In the telegram, Germany proposed to Mexico that if the United States were to join the war, Mexico should join and side with the Central Powers. In appreciation, and if the Central Powers were to win, Mexico would recuperate the territory of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona that Mexico lost in its war with the United States during the Mexican–American War in 1848. The telegram, known as the Zimmermann Telegram was intercepted when the telegram was being wired to the German embassy in Washington, DC to be re-routed to Mexico City. Mexico eventually rejected the telegram and continued to remain neutral during the war.[2]

On 22 May 1942, Mexico declared war on Germany during World War II. The decision for war was made by Mexican President Manuel Ávila Camacho after German U-boats destroyed two Mexican oil tankers in the Gulf of Mexico; the SS Potrero del Llano and SS Faja de Oro, both carrying crude oil to the United States. Mexico is only one of two Latin-American nations to contribute soldiers during the war (the other nation being Brazil). However, more Mexican troops fought in the Philippines than in Europe. Diplomatic relations between the two nations were re-established on 16 April 1952.[3]

After World War II, Mexico maintained diplomatic relations with both the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and the German Democratic Republic (East Germany).[4] During this time period, Mexico maintained an embassy in Bonn.[5] After the reunification of Germany in 1990, Mexico established relations with the Federal Republic of Germany and in the year 2000, Mexico moved its embassy to its current location in Berlin.[5]

State visits

Chancellor Angela Merkel attending the G20 summit in Los Cabos; 2012
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto meeting in November 2015

Chancellor and Presidential visits from Germany to Mexico[4][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]

Presidential visits from Mexico to Germany[13][14][15][16][17][18]

Migration

There is a sizable German origin community in Mexico that thrives and several prominent Mexican politicians, journalists, artists and actors are of German descent. There is also a Mennonite community in Mexico with approximately 100,000 members in Northern Mexico of predominant German origin.[19]

Trade relations

In 1997, Mexico signed a Free Trade Agreement with the European Union (which includes Germany). In 2014, two-trade between both nations amounted to $17.2 billion USD.[20][21] Germany is Mexico's biggest trading partner within the European Union and fifth biggest globally.[22] At the same time, Mexico is Germany's second biggest trading partner in Latin America (after Brazil) and 30th on a global level.[22] There are over 1,300 Germany companies based in Mexico with total capital amounting to $25 billion USD.[23] Most notable German industries in Mexico mainly belong to the automotive sections, such as: Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen. A few Mexican multi-national companies such as Cemex and Ruhrpumpen operate in Germany.

Resident diplomatic missions

Embassy of Mexico in Berlin

See also

References

  1. ↑ Relación México-Alemania (in Spanish)
  2. ↑ NSA: The Zimmermann Telegram
  3. ↑ History of diplomatic relations between Mexico and Germany (Spanish)
  4. 1 2 Erich Honecker in Ciudad de Mexico von Präsident Jose Lopez Portillo herzlich willkommen geheißen (in German)
  5. 1 2 History of diplomatic relations between Mexico and Germany (in Spanish)
  6. ↑ Visita del Canciller de la República Federal de Alemania, Helmut Kohl (in Spanish)
  7. ↑ El Presidente Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León recibió en visita oficial de Estado al Canciller de la República Federal de Alemania, señor Helmut Kohl (in Spanish)
  8. ↑ Visita de Estado del Presidente de la República Federal de Alemania (in Spanish)
  9. ↑ Llega a México el Presidente de Alemania, Johannes Rau (in Spanish)
  10. ↑ Chancellor Gerhard Schröder visits Mexico (in Spanish)
  11. ↑ La visita del presidente alemán a Latinoamérica (in Spanish)
  12. ↑ Llega a México la canciller alemana Angela Merkel (in Spanish)
  13. ↑ Luis Echeverría Álvarez: 1970-1976 (in Spanish)
  14. ↑ Visita del Presidente de la República a varios países europeos (in Spanish)
  15. ↑ President Carlos Salinas de Gortari visits Germany (in Spanish)
  16. ↑ Cobertura Especial de la Visita de Estado del presidente Ernesto Zedillo a Francia y Alemania (in Spanish)
  17. ↑ Official trips made by President Vicente Fox (in Spanish)
  18. ↑ Official trips made by President Felipe Calderón (in Spanish)
  19. ↑ Mennonite community in Northern Chihuahua, Mexico
  20. ↑ Mexican Ministry of the Economy: Germany (in Spanish)
  21. ↑ Comercio México-Alemania llega a 5,691 mdd en abril (in Spanish)
  22. 1 2 Relaciones comerciales y de inversión entre México y Alemania (in Spanish)
  23. ↑ Area de Economía (in Spanish)
  24. ↑ Embassy of Germany in Mexico City (in German and Spanish)
  25. ↑ Embassy of Mexico in Berlin (in German and Spanish)
  26. ↑ Consulate of Mexico in Frankfurt (in German and Spanish)
  27. ↑ Trade office of Mexico in Munich (in English and Spanish)
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