Mineral diplomacy: Mexico at the table with the United States
Claudia Sheinbaum was clear this Thursday. Mexico attends meetings with the United States to discuss critical minerals, but the final decision will be sovereign. Nothing more, nothing less.
“We are attending the meetings… in due course with a sovereign decision we will make our own decision on this issue,”
The president said in her morning conference. The message between the lines is obvious: we are listening, but they are not going to dictate to us. The shadow of Trump and his possible requests floats in the air, although Sheinbaum clarified that he did not speak with him directly today.
What exactly are they talking about?
They refer to those essential elements to manufacture everything from electric cars to artificial intelligence equipment and renewable energy. The famous rare earths. Sheinbaum explained that the global objective is to guarantee access for all countries and avoid bottlenecks in production.
This is where our strong card comes in: silver.
“Mexico is the main silver producer in the world and Zacatecas is the state with the highest production”,
The president recalled. A strategic piece of information that undoubtedly weighs in any negotiation. But he also made clear the golden, or rather, constitutional rule:
“…the ownership of the minerals in the country belongs to the nation.”
That is, we can make concessions, but the resource is ours. A nod to article 27 and a reminder of the special case of lithium, reserved for the State since López Obrador’s reform.
The next talks will be next week with the US State Department. Mexico is not alone at this table; There are other countries invited. Sheinbaum paints a panorama of multilateral dialogue, but with the Constitution and sovereignty as insurmountable limits.
The final message is a mix of diplomacy and firmness. We attend, we participate, but the last word on our resources will always be ours. A position that seeks to balance international cooperation with the defense of national interest.
