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-Editorial
As part of the XV Day of Mexico at the Capitol, known as California Mexico Advocacy Day, the California Chamber of Commerce organized a notable working breakfast. Held today, this event brought together political and legislative authorities, businesspeople, and strategic partners to explore opportunities and establish economic synergies between Mexico and California.
Christian Tonatiuh González, the Mexican Consul General in Sacramento, emphasized the importance of this forum for promoting collaboration and dialogue on economic issues, highlighting the need to create development opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises in both countries. González introduced the keynote speaker, Dr. Francisco Acuña, Executive President of CODESO in Sonora, who discussed potential partnerships between California and Sonora in the field of clean and renewable energy.
The event was attended by legislators and government officials, including Senator María Elena Durazo, Senators Ben Allen, Brian Jones, Steve Padilla, and Assemblymembers Eduardo García, Wendy Carrillo, Mike Gipson, and Blanca Rubio. Also present were Emily Disai, Deputy Director of Strategic Global Programs and External Affairs at GoBiz, and the Elect Migrant Senator Karina Ruiz, among others.
The Consul General thanked Jennifer Barrera, President of the Chamber of Commerce, for her initiative and leadership, highlighting her role as a strategic ally who fosters connections between economic and business actors in Mexico and California.
California and Mexico have significant interdependence in areas such as trade, investment, energy, and technology. As one of the largest exporting states in the U.S., California maintains a vital economic relationship with Mexico, its primary trading partner. Interactions during this event help strengthen these ties, promoting investment opportunities and collaboration in key sectors.
California and Mexico maintain a fundamental economic and commercial relationship, with international trade being an essential component of California’s economy, which totals $3.1 trillion. Mexico has been California’s main trading partner since 1999, serving as the largest market for California-made exports. In 2020, California exported goods worth $24.0 billion to Mexico.
Mexico, with a population of 130.2 million people, is the tenth most populous country in the world. In contrast, California has approximately one-third of that figure, with 39.5 million residents. In terms of size, Mexico is the fifteenth-largest country, covering 0.75 million square miles, which is almost three times the size of Texas.
Rapid urbanization in Mexico has led to four-fifths of its population living in urban areas. The country is divided into 32 states, with 39 cities having populations over 500,000, including Mexico City, which has 22 million residents. Economically, Mexico’s GDP in 2019 was $1.3 trillion, compared to $1.2 trillion in 2018 and California’s GDP of $2.9 trillion in the same period. Mexico’s real GDP per capita is $19,756, compared to $62,530 in the U.S. and $81,645 in California.
In California, 15.5 million people, or 39.4% of the population, are of Mexican descent. Additionally, 28.8% of Californians speak Spanish. If Los Angeles were in Mexico, its 1.9 million Mexican residents would make it the seventh largest city in the country, behind Mexico City, Ecatepec, Tijuana, Puebla, Guadalajara, and Monterrey.
In 2020, California exported $156.1 billion to 227 foreign economies, representing 10.9% of total U.S. exports. Mexico was California’s largest export market in 2020, with $24.0 billion, followed by Canada, China, Japan, and South Korea. California imported products worth $47.8 billion in 2020, with major imports including electronic equipment, transportation equipment, and agricultural products.
