Mexico must treat Chinese enterprises justly: China

BEIJING -- China on Monday urged Mexico to ensure Chinese enterprises are treated justly after a Chinese-led consortium was denied the opportunity to build a high-speed railway in the country by the Mexican government suspending the project.

"We noticed the Mexican government's decision. China hopes the government can properly handle the aftermath, and ensure the Chinese enterprises' legal rights and interests with concrete measures," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei.

The new line, which was expected to cost $3.75 billion to build, would have connected Mexico City with the central state of Queretaro. The bid for the project was won by a group including the China Railway Construction Corporation in November, but it was soon canceled by the Mexican government for domestic reasons.

Chinese enterprises are globally competitive in high speed rail technology and operation, and are increasingly going global. The Chinese government will continue to encourage and support enterprises in this drive, Hong told a regular press briefing in Beijing.

The spokesman also said that cooperation between China and Mexico is in the interests of the two countries, and expressed hope that the two sides can cooperate more in future.

Mexico's finance minister on Friday announced the project's "indefinite" suspension, as well as canceling a proposed trans-peninsular rail line, after the government's budget cuts for this year.

A spokesperson from the National Development and Reform Commission, China's top economic planner, said on Monday that China regretted Mexico's decision.

Mexico needs to "value and properly cope with the huge manpower and money Chinese enterprises invested in the project bid, and carry out measures for further bilateral cooperation,", said the spokesperson.