Touting trade in Texas: summit proves useful for Mexican business leaders.

A group of influential business leaders from Mexico met last month with former U.S. President George H.W. Bush and current U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez to discuss promoting trade between the two countries, competitiveness and the need for reforms in Mexico, among other salient themes.

The summit in the George Bush Presidential Library in College Station, Texas (perhaps best known as the site of Texas A&M University) included round-table discussions with the group of around 25 participants, as well as the opportunity for one-on-one conversations. The group from Mexico included Claudio X. Gonzalez, president of Kimberley Clark de Mexico; Federico Sada Gonzalez, president of Vitro; and Larry D. Rubin, CEO of AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF MEXICO.

"The principal themes discussed during the day were reforms in Mexico, the political situation from now through 2006, competitiveness, and Nafta of course," Rubin told BUSINESS MEXICO. He also said he had stressed the need to focus on the legislative rather than the executive side for a lot of the necessary reforms.

"Secretary Gutierrez talked about how the United States and Mexico were going to work together to promote commerce between the two countries. He also said he wanted us to get involved in the joint committees both governments were going to set up," Rubin added.

These joint committees were a result of a March summit in Waco, Texas, bringing together U.S. President George W. Bush, Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin and Mexican President Vicente Fox. At this summit, the Nafta allies announced a plan to strengthen economic and security ties, and called for increasing North American competitiveness.

The three countries are facing a rise in the economic power of China and India, as well as an expanding European Union.

Rubin said the summit had provided an opportunity for Sec. Gutierrez to meet some of the influential business leaders in Mexico. It was the first such meeting for the recently appointed AMCHAM CEO.

"I was impressed by the accessibility of both Carlos Gutierrez and (former) President Bush. It was a good opportunity to talk and to meet each other," Rubin said.

Rubin is also due to lead a delegation of AMCHAM members for an additional meeting with the U.S. secretary of commerce in Washington, D.C. in the first week of May.