Peoria, Arizona - Former Mexican President Vincente Fox urged the United States to bolster ties with Mexico — including recognizing the benefits of migrant labor — or be left behind by China's emergence as the world's superpower. "The threat is this so-called power shift from the West to the East," he stated.

Fox was the keynote speaker at an Arizona economic developmental event held last week which was aimed at promoting trade relations between the state and Mexico. The event was organized by the city of Peoria.

The former Coca-Cola executive, who led Mexico from 2000 to 2006, explained that "nations on the East" are preparing to become global economic powers, saying there are forecasts that show the Chinese economy will be larger than that of the United States within a dozen years.

"And that leaves a very important question for western leadership: under what principles are those leading nations going to be exercising their influence," Fox said. And his point was clear: the US would be better off dealing with Mexico and other Latin American countries than perhaps those with different world views.

He said that with a new president set to take over in Mexico and the upcoming presidential election in the United States, there is an opportunity for "a new path based on humanism, on compassion, and on friendship within the framework of shared Western values. Otherwise, we'll keep losing jobs to the east."

"We have our values in the West that we share," Fox said. "So we all on this continent, especially North America, must get ready to meet that challenge."

He said part of that means bolstering the economies of the United States and Mexico.

But, Fox said, if the West wants to keep its edge, there needs to be a recognition that Mexicans in the United States, legal and otherwise, contribute to the economy of both countries. And that, he said, will require finally resolving the issue of who can come into the US, and under what circumstances.

Fox went on to insisted he is not in favor of open borders. "But I am in favor of the use of our talent, our wisdom, and our intelligence," Fox said. "And that is going to require finally resolving the issue of what kind of laws on immigration are necessary."

In his speech, Fox did not address Arizona’s approval of SB 1070 two years ago aimed at giving state and local police more power to detain and arrest suspected illegal immigrants. But in response to a question afterwards, he said that "Arizona and other states have waded into the fray with their own laws out of frustration with the lack of action on immigration reform in Washington."

"What’s needed now is for lawmakers in Washington to come up with at least a framework for reform. In the end, migration is a national issue."

"We need to know what the rules of the game are," Fox said. "It is of human intelligence to sit down, put aside xenophobia, put aside all of our complaints that we might have, and sit down and discuss the differences."

Fox added that it also needs to be recognized that this is not just a one-way relationship, saying Mexico buys $250 billion of US products every year, meaning "millions of jobs" to this country’s economy.

Fox did discuss the increasing violence in Mexico. But the former president made it clear that much of the blame starts with the huge demand for drugs in the United States; the money from which financially fuels the cartels in Mexico.

"It is a $50 billion a year market which is raised in the US and is brought back to Mexico to bribe policemen and public officials," he said. "And they use that money to buy the weapons produced here in the United States."

He minimized the role of his nation in feeding the US drug habit, acknowledging that there is marijuana grown in Mexico, but deflecting any real blame.

"I’m sure the state of California produces more marijuana of higher quality, than what is produced in Mexico," he said.

Similarly, in talking with reporters later, Fox brushed aside a question of whether Mexico should be doing more on its side of the border to keep out guns.

"We’re trying to control drugs and ammunition," he said, saying his country has "much better control" of that problem than the United States does in keeping out drugs. "The obligation to control that is yours," Fox said.

Former Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman was also speaking at the event. In his speech he said that he sees an opportunity now for both Arizona and federal officials to "turn the page and revamp relations with Mexico."

"We have far too long allowed a few people to scream at one another and define the debate," he said. "Some want to yell at one group and call them ‘amnesty fanatics’ and ‘the open borders crowd’ while some want to scream at the other group that they’re a bunch of bigots," he said.

Source: EastValleyTribune.com