No land grab in Vulcan dispute, Sheinbaum says: Monday’s mañanera recapped

A time aft delivering a patriotic code successful Mexico City’s Zócalo successful solemnisation of the United States’ determination to suspend tariffs connected astir Mexican goods, President Claudia Sheinbaum answered questions from reporters astatine her regular greeting property conference.

One newsman honed successful connected a missive a radical of Republican Party lawmakers sent to United States President Donald Trump past Friday.

President Sheinbaum responded to concerns voiced by U.S. Republicans successful a missive to Trump. (Moisés Pablo Nava/Cuartoscuro)

Sheinbaum rejected a cardinal premise of the letter, arsenic good arsenic speculation that 1 of erstwhile president Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s signature infrastructure projects was built with Chinese money.

‘There was ne'er an expropriation’ successful Mexico’s quality with Vulcan Materials, Sheinbaum says

A newsman asked Sheinbaum astir the missive 35 members of the United States Congress sent to Trump asking the U.S. president to “demand a solution for Vulcan Materials Company,” an Alabama-based operation aggregates steadfast whose marine terminal successful Quintana Roo was taken implicit and occupied by Mexico’s national information forces successful 2023  arsenic portion of a long-running onshore usage dispute.

“As you sermon commercialized and borderline security issues with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, we inquire that you request a resolution for Vulcan Materials Company. Mexico indispensable resoluteness this situation by engaging successful bully faith negotiations to relationship for their amerciable actions,” the missive said. 

“… Under the absorption of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO), Mexico’s subject forces invaded Vulcan’s facilities and unlawfully unopen down Vulcan’s operations,” the members of Congress said.

Mexico’s quality wtih Vulcan materials dates backmost to the medication of erstwhile President López Obrador, who accused the institution of causing an ecological catastrophe astatine their quarry successful Quintana Roo. (Moisés Pablo Nava/Cuartoscuro)

“… Additionally, connected September 23, 2024, President AMLO efficaciously expropriated Vulcan’s spot by designating it a ‘naturally protected area.’ President Sheinbaum is presently considering a ‘management plan’ — which could potentially payment Mexican and different overseas interests astatine the outgo of an American company,” they said. 

“The Yucatan Peninsula’s strategical location, little than 400 miles from Florida, requires vigilant extortion of some U.S. economical and nationalist information interests,” the lawmakers said. 

Sheinbaum said that her authorities would nonstop letters to the members of Congress and Trump to “clarify” what has happened connected the seashore of Quintana Roo.

“In that missive they’re suggesting that determination was an expropriation. There was ne'er an expropriation — the onshore is theirs, the spot is theirs,” she said.

“The occupation is that they went wholly retired of their authorized country of operation,” Sheinbaum said, referring to Vulcan’s limestone quarrying activity.

“They went to different areas, affecting cenotes and aquifers,” she said.

“So they were informed, they were told … [to stop] but they continued with the quarrying, and past President López Obrador decided to alteration the [permitted] onshore use, but determination is nary expropriation,” Sheinbaum said

Vulcan Materials operated the Calica quarry and a adjacent shipping larboard connected the seashore of Quintana Roo. (Archivo/Cuartoscuro)

“Now it’s a earthy protected country wherever the exploitation of these materials isn’t permitted due to the fact that it’s severely affecting the environment,” she said.

“… The institution should person complied with the biology interaction authorization it had. No institution tin interruption its biology interaction authorization, but they expanded their country of operation,” Sheinbaum said.

She besides said that her authorities is “meeting with the institution to look astatine alternate solutions” to debar a “legal conflict” betwixt the 2 parties.

If the 2 parties can’t scope an agreement, the substance “will beryllium resolved successful court,” Sheinbaum said.

No Chinese backing of Maya Train 

In their letter, the 35 members of U.S. Congress besides raised concerns astir imaginable Chinese backing of the Maya Train railroad, an ambitious task built by the erstwhile Mexican authorities that runs done the states of Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatán, Quintana Roo and Chiapas.

“Beyond the concerning expropriation of Vulcan’s property, we are troubled by reports that the adjacent Mayan Train task whitethorn beryllium funded by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP),” the lawmakers said without providing immoderate accusation astir the reports they were referring to.

U.S. Republicans said reports from unnamed sources alleged that the Maya Train mightiness person been funded by China. (Cuartoscuro)

“We petition that your administration urgently analyse to clarify the existent developers of this task to guarantee the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative does not found a beingness successful this strategically captious location,” the members of Congress said to Trump 

Sheinbaum told reporters that the root of the backing for the railroad is “public.”

“You tin spot it successful the nationalist accounts reports — everything that was invested successful the Maya Train is nationalist [information], it was [built with] the resources of Mexicans who paid taxes and they came backmost to physique the Maya Train. So determination is nary Chinese funding,” she said.

She said that “if immoderate company” progressive successful the operation of the Maya Train had immoderate transportation to China oregon the Chinese communist party, “that has thing to bash with the funding” of the railroad.

Mexico’s commercialized and concern narration with China and Chinese companies could beryllium a sticking constituent with the United States and Canada successful the 2026 reappraisal of the USMCA escaped commercialized pact.

The Mexican authorities is presently aiming to trim dependence connected Chinese imports, and has precocious imposed tariffs connected immoderate Chinese goods, including textiles and clothing.

By Mexico News Daily main unit writer Peter Davies ([email protected])