Mexican Diplomacy and the Chinese Issue, 1876-1910

Abstract

HE relationship between Mexico and China during the regime of Porfirio Di'az illuminates several aspects of Mexican history in this period. It emphasizes the preoccupation of the country's political elite with economic development, as well as the development model the elite favored, and the difficulties in implementing it. It illustrates the conflicts which sometimes resulted from the pursuit of development-conflicts between that goal and the elite's racism, conflicts between Mexico and the UnLited States, and social cleavages which became clearer after LgLo. The tranis-Pacific galleon trade of the colonial period supplied luxury goods to Mexico, resulted in the immigration of thousands of Chinese, and helped to establish the peso as a major Chinese currency.' The trade ended in i8ii, but after independence many Mexican leaders sought a revived Chiina trade as a means of stimulating the country's stagnant econiomy. 2 Although there was no trade of any significance, a few Chiniese emigrated to Mexico before 1876, and at least one attempt was made to promote such emigration.3 More significant, however, to Mexico's future relationship with Chiina, was the emergence in the half century after independence of a consensus on development, shared by most of the nation's political elite.