What others say: Mexico becoming the new China

Arizona’s international border is an economic engine with huge potential, and the stars are aligning to make it more powerful yet.

Mexico offers high-skill, low-cost manufacturing and easy access to the North American market.

Labor costs are rising in China, and U.S. manufactures are relocating to Mexico with an enthusiasm reminiscent of the early days of the North American Free Trade Agreement in the 1990s, according to The New York Times.

Big names like Caterpillar, Stanley, Black & Decker, Chrysler and Callaway Golf are expanding there. But opportunities exist for companies of all sizes, including locally grown Arizona companies.

The whole nation benefits from trade with Mexico. About 40 percent of the content of goods imported from Mexico originates in the United States. That drops to 4 percent if the import comes from China.

But “there is no question that the border states are in the lead in using binational trade as a tool for regional development,” according to a report that introduced an on-going series of Regional Economic Competitiveness Forums, including one in Rio Rico last month.

The Nogales border crossing has long attracted produce from western Mexico. A new highway in Mexico’s interior puts Texas in a position to compete for those imports, and Texas is aggressively doing so. But Jungmeyer says the Mexican highway also allows Arizona’s ports to compete for produce from eastern Mexico.

It’s a silver-lining scenario that depends on efficient ports and good infrastructure in Arizona.

It isn’t the only example of envisioning a more rewarding international future.

In addition to a commitment by Phoenix and the state to open trade offices in Mexico City, local government leaders from Arizona and Sonora agreed earlier this year to form the Arizona-Sonora Binational Megaregion to work on becoming more globally competitive. This is modeled on a mega-border region in California, according to Erik Lee of the North American Research Partnership.

Last weekend, Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild hosted a Borderlands Trade Conference that brought together experts from business, trade and government sectors to share ideas.

The border is an asset with growing potential for economic development, and efforts to build on that will help our state prosper.

— Arizona Republic,

June 3

More in Opinion

The Alaska Capitol on Monday, Jan. 16, 2023, in Juneau, Alaska. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer)
Alaska Voices: Legislature deserves credit

A special session shouldn’t have been necessary, but at least it was only one day instead of 30 days.

Alaska State Troopers logo.
Alaska Voices: Please be safe, courteous, and legal as you fish in Alaska this summer

As you head out to hit the water this year, here are a few tips to help you have a safe and citation free season

An observer makes an entry in the Fish Map App on Prince of Wales Island. (Photo by Lee House/courtesy Salmon State)
Alaska Voices: Document Alaska rivers with new fish map app

The app provides a way for everyday Alaskans to document rivers home to wild salmon, whitefish, eulachon and other ocean-going fish — and earn money doing it

(Peter Segall / Juneau Empire File)
Opinion: Sustainability report is a greenwashing effort

Report leaves out “the not-so-pretty.”

Pictured is an adult Chinook salmon swimming in Ship Creek, Anchorage. (Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
Voices of the Peninsula: Proactive measures key to king salmon recovery

I have been sport fishing king salmon along the eastern shores of Cook Inlet and in the Kenai River since 1977

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Honoring the fallen on Memorial Day

As we honor the men and women who fell in service to our nation, we must keep their memories alive through their stories

Shana Loshbaugh (Courtesy photo)
History conference seeking input from peninsula people

The Alaska Historical Society will hold its annual conference on the central peninsula this fall

Coach Dan Gensel (left) prepares to get his ear pierced to celebrate Soldotna High School’s first team-sport state championship on Friday, Febr. 12, 1993 in Soldotna, Alaska. Gensel, who led the Soldotna High School girls basketball team to victory, had promised his team earlier in the season that he would get his ear pierced if they won the state title. (Rusty Swan/Peninsula Clarion)
Remembering my friend, Dan Gensel

It’s a friendship that’s both fixed in time and eternal

(Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire File)
Opinion: The false gods in America’s gun culture

HB 61 is a solution in search of a problem.

KPBSD Superintendent Clayton Holland
Reflecting on a year of growth and resilience

A message from the superintendent

Jim Cockrell, commissioner of the Department of Public Safety. (Courtesy photo/Office of Gov. Mike Dunleavy)
Honoring the 69 peace officers who have died serving Alaskans

Alaska Peace Officer Memorial Day honors the brave men and women who have given their lives in the line of duty

Rep. Maxine Dibert (Image via Alaska State Legislature)
Opinion: The economic case for a significant investment in education

As our oil production and related revenue have declined, our investments in education have remained flat