The President of the United Mexican States His Excellency Felipe Calderon Hinojosa, who is in Singapore on a State Visit, and his spouse, Mrs Margarita Zavala, were welcomed by President Tony Tan Keng Yam and Mrs Mary Tan at an official ceremony held at the Istana this morning. Following the ceremony, President Calderon paid a courtesy call on President Tan and met with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. The leaders reaffirmed the warm ties between Singapore and Mexico, and discussed ways to strengthen mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation. President Calderon exchanged views with President Tan and PM Lee on developments in APEC and the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and underscored Mexico's continued commitment to promoting greater cooperation in the Asia Pacific region. President Calderon also briefed our leaders on recent developments in Mexico and Latin America. President Tan and PM Lee welcomed Mexico's continued interest in the Asia-Pacific, and commended Mexico's leadership role in promoting inter-regional cooperation, and fostering dialogue between G20 and non-G20 countries. The leaders also encouraged closer ties between Asia and Latin America.
President Calderon and his delegation then attended a business luncheon in his honour, which was hosted by Minister, Prime Minister's Office, Second Minister for Home Affairs, and Second Minister for Trade & Industry Mr S Iswaran. During the lunch, President Calderon briefed participating Singapore-based businesses on opportunities in Mexico.
President Calderon and Mrs Zavala had a new orchid hybrid, the GenusCalderon Zavala, named in their honour at the National Orchid Garden in the Singapore Botanic Gardens. In addition, President Calderon had a meeting with Sembcorp and toured its facilities on Jurong Island.
This evening, President Tan and Mrs Tan will host a State Banquet in honour of President Calderon and Mrs Zavala.
Tomorrow morning, President Calderon will deliver the Fullerton Lecture, "A Mexican Perspective on the Global Economy", organised by the International Institute for Strategic Studies. This will be followed by a briefing by PSA and a visit to the Port of Singapore. President Calderon and his delegation will depart Singapore in the afternoon.
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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
SINGAPORE
10 SEPTEMBER 2012