VZCZCXRO2432
RR RUEHCN
DE RUEHGZ #5696/01 0600215
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 010215Z MAR 06
FM AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9256
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUEHMD/AMEMBASSY MADRID 0046
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
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RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 GUANGZHOU 005696 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PASS TO ALL US CONSULATES IN MEXICO COLLECTIVE 
STATE FOR WHA, EB, EAP/CM, CA 
STATE PASS USTR 
USDOC FOR DAS LEVINE, 4420/ITA/MAC/MCQUEEN, DAS LEVINE 
USPACOM FOR FPA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL ECON EINV CONS PINR CH
SUBJECT:  Andale, Pues:  Mexico Establishes Consulate in 
Guangzhou; Peru, Chile, Brazil, and (Sigh) Cuba In Train 
 
Ref:  Guangzhou 3619 (notal) 
 
(U) THIS DOCUMENT IS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED.  PLEASE 
PROTECT ACCORDINGLY.  NOT FOR RELEASE OUTSIDE U.S. 
GOVERNMENT CHANNELS.  NOT FOR INTERNET PUBLICATION. 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  Mexico has opened a Consulate in 
Guangzhou.  In the celebratory event, Mexican 
Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs Lourdes Aranda cited the 
heavy weight economic power of Guangdong Province not to 
mention the fact that most Chinese-Mexicans trace their 
roots to south China as the chief reasons for opening the 
post, which initially will cover only Guangdong Province. 
Other factors included Guangdong's active wooing of Mexico 
and the fact that Mexican Ambassador to China Sergio Ley is 
himself a Chinese-Mexican with roots in Zhongshan -- a 
heartland city of Guangdong.   Guangdong Foreign Affairs 
Office officials noted that Mexico is only the first of 
many Latin American countries intending to establish 
Consulates in Guangzhou -- in train are those of Peru, 
Chile, Brazil, and, regretfully, Cuba.  End Summary. 
 
"Hemos Llegado" 
--------------- 
¶2.  (U) On February 22, the United Mexican States 
officially celebrated the opening of its Consulate in 
Guangzhou.  In town especially for the occasion, Mexico's 
Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs Lourdes Aranda noted 
that Guangdong is the acknowledged economic power house 
province in China, accounting for one third of China's 
total trade and increasingly interested in investing 
abroad, including in Mexico.  All told, Guangdong-Mexico 
trade and investment activities amount to USD 2 billion. 
She also noted that the vast majority of family-related 
immigration from China to Mexico originates in Guangdong 
and that the Consulate would have a role in facilitating 
that immigration as well.  She also cited the high level 
interaction between national leaders of both countries and 
the specific interest of the Guangdong government in 
cementing relations. 
 
Welcome, Welcome, Welcome 
------------------------- 
¶3.  (U) Echoing the Undersecretary's remarks, Guangdong 
Province Deputy Secretary General Liu Youjun emphasized the 
marvelous reception received by a delegation headed by 
Governor Huang Huahua during a visit in October, 2005 (in 
the continuation of a major delegation trip to the United 
States that saw 600 Guangdong Provincial and Municipality 
officials and business representatives meeting in San 
Francisco).  He said that Mexico is increasingly an 
important market for Guangdong, and, mirroring 
Undersecretary Aranda, he emphasized Guangdong's great 
interest in seeing the expansion of Mexican investment in 
south China. 
 
Initially Limited to Guangdong 
------------------------------ 
¶4.  (SBU) Initially, the Mexican Consulate in Guangzhou 
will be headed by Consul Leopoldo Marin and its scope of 
work will be concentrated on Guangdong.  The Guangzhou 
Consulate is staffed initially by only two home-based 
officers, neither of whom are fluent Chinese speakers, and 
one of whom is an Entry Level Officer on her first tour. 
She was, however, the officer who got the Consulate up and 
running in a matter of weeks (the Belgians who are 
establishing a Consulate General in Guangzhou have yet to 
have an official opening two months after arriving in 
town).  Accordingly, a lot of support would still need to 
come from the Mexican Consulate General in Hong Kong, which 
has trade and investment promotion capabilities that the 
Consulate in Guangzhou will initially not have.  The 
eventual aim, however, is to convert the Consulate into a 
Consulate General and expand operations to Guangxi and 
Hainan -- which are theoretically already covered in 
Mexico's arrangement with the Chinese Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs. 
 
GUANGZHOU 00005696  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
"Guanxi" in Play 
---------------- 
¶5.  (SBU) Although he did not make formal remarks at the 
ceremony, Mexican Ambassador to China Sergio Ley clearly 
had a hand in the establishment of the new Consulate.  A 
Chinese-Mexican, Ambassador Ley is a highly gregarious 
businessman from Sinaloa and is the owner of, among other 
enterprises, the "Tomateros" in the Mexican Baseball 
League.  Most importantly, Ley's family originates in 
Zhongshan, the birthplace of revolutionary hero Dr. Sun 
Yatsen, and one of the most important and influential 
heartland cities in Guangdong Province (Executive Vice 
Governor Tang Bingquan, for example, hails from Zhongshan 
as do large numbers of up and comers in the provincial 
government and party).  Certainly the Ambassador did not 
play down his connections to Zhongshan in particular and 
Guangdong in general in his genial conversations during the 
reception following the official opening ceremony. 
 
Salsa En-Tangoed 
---------------- 
¶6.  (SBU) Both the Mexican and the Guangdong officials made 
much of the fact that Mexico is the first in a number of 
Latin American countries intending to establish diplomatic 
posts in Guangzhou.  Guangdong Foreign Affairs Office 
Deputy Director General Fu Lan said that the province was 
looking forward to seeing Brazil, Chile, and Peru moving 
quickly to establish Consulates because these represented 
the most important economic powers in South America.  Fu 
added sotto voce that Cuba, which is not an economic power 
house, still remains interested in moving forward with its 
plans in Guangzhou (reftel). 
 
Comment 
------- 
¶7.  (SBU) The Mexican presence in what is sometimes 
referred to as the "industrial workshop of the world" is 
important for Mexico's understanding of what might 
constitute its biggest global competitor.  We hear many 
stories here of American and other third country firms 
which have closed down or scaled back maquiladora 
operations in Mexico in order to set up shop in Guangdong, 
and we intend to be in close contact with our Mexican 
colleagues to see how they see Guangdong. 
 
¶8.  (SBU) The establishment of the Mexican Consulate 
"completes" the representation of NAFTA in Guangdong, as 
many people jokingly said during the reception.  ASEAN is 
"missing" three countries -- Brunei, Burma, and Laos -- but 
there is no indication at all that any are interested in 
diplomatic representation in Guangdong.  The most glaring 
"missing" member of the European Union is Spain, which has 
very extensive commercial interests in south China but 
which covers the territory from elsewhere.  Guangdong is 
apparently very interested in attracting Spain, however, 
and the further addition of a Hispanic flavor to Guangdong 
would be welcome -- unless it comes with a Castro-ite odor. 
 
DONG