Prime Minister's speech at the British Embassy, Mexico
I am here to talk about Anglo-Mexican relations, and I really do think that this is a huge opportunity for both our countries.
Speech by the Prime Minister, Mr David Cameron at the British Embassy, Mexico on Tuesday, 19th June 2012.
Prime Minister
It is great to be here, and great to come straight from that G20 at Los Cabos where President Calderon chaired it superbly; I think it was yet another sign of the great growth in prestige that Mexico is having on the world stage. It was well done; it was a good meeting.
I am here to talk about Anglo-Mexican relations, and I really do think that this is a huge opportunity for both our countries. When I think of the United Kingdom and I think of Mexico, I think actually we have a lot of similarities. We are both vibrant democracies; I can see the vibrancy of your democracy by the posters of all the politicians, one of whom I have just met, who are standing in these forthcoming elections.
We are both vibrant democracies. We are also vibrant free-enterprise economies; and crucially we are free-enterprise economies that depend on trade, investment and open-markets around the world. It was great at the G20 that Britain and Mexico were on the same side of all the important debates: making sure we do not slide towards protectionism; making sure we regulate our banks properly; making sure we open markets all over the world. We are similar in that regard.
We are also two countries who believe in green growth, who believe that the environmental challenges that we face are opportunities for business, technology and growth. We share a great vision there: two countries that have introduced climate change legislation, which we think the world should rightly follow.
I also think we are countries that believe in standing tall on the world stage; Mexico is doing that: by holding the Cancun summit; by holding the G20 summit; by speaking out, more and more, on issues that matter around the world, like what is happening in Iran and Syria.
We are both countries that are members of large trading blocs: you in NAFTA, we in the European Union. We know that these trading blocs and trading deals around the world will make our world stronger. So, I think this is a great time to be in Mexico, a great time to be speaking about how Mexico and Britain can work together.
I will just give a small commercial to Britain in this year 2012, the year of the Diamond Jubilee, which was hugely successful, and the year of the Olympics where we hope that our Olympics will be as successful as those great Olympics in 1968 in Mexico City.
We do think that Britain has huge opportunities for investment for Mexican businesses. We have a time zone that helps you trade with America at one part of the day, with the Far East at the other part of the day. We have the English language, the language of business; we have great universities open to Mexican students; we have extraordinary financial services, insurance and banking industries, but we are also the seventh largest manufacturer in the world.
We have great opportunities, access to those European governments and a government that is resolutely pro-business. We have cut business taxes; we have cut personal taxes; we have cut the top rate of tax; we are building infrastructure; we are investing in skills. We know that the response - the long-term response - to the crisis in our world economy is to make your country more pro-business, more pro-enterprise, to make it easier to start and grow a business. I know that is the sort of spirit that fires up Mexico too.
So, as they said at the end of Casablanca, I hope this is the start of a beautiful friendship. I think that it can be; I think we have many things in common. I am looking forward to my day tomorrow with the President to discuss issues of mutual interest, and I know at the heart of that will be our trading, investment and business relationship.
I have now taken business delegations to almost every G20 country in the world, but my aim is above all to link Britain to the fastest-growing, most successful countries of the future; Mexico is quite clearly one of those.
So, it is great to be here tonight. It is great to welcome so many strong British businesses here, but also such strong Mexican businesses too. As I said, I think we can do a huge amount together and I am here to help make that happen.
Thank you very much indeed.