Discreet Realism and China–Mexico relations, 2018–2025
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22417543 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Eduardo Tzili Apango (0000-0002-8394-1767, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-25 |
| Publication date | 2026-07-11 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Cambridge Review of International Affairs (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0955-7571 • E-ISSN: 1474-449X |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/09557571.2026.2700026 |
| OpenAlex | W7168049087 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 28 |
This article examines Mexico’s relations with China between 2018 and 2025 in the context of intensifying United States-China strategic competition. It uses Discreet Realism as a realist-informed analytical lens to interpret the strategic logic underlying Mexico’s foreign economic and diplomatic behavior. Drawing on realist theory and a qualitative interpretive analysis, the article argues that Mexico has pursued a strategy of selective engagement, low-visibility diplomacy, and disciplined signaling aimed at extracting economic and developmental benefits from China while minimizing geopolitical exposure vis-à-vis the United States. Empirically, the study analyzes trade patterns, investment dynamics, diplomatic signaling, and sector-specific cooperation, showing that Mexico’s engagement with China has expanded in economically meaningful yet politically compartmentalised ways, alongside a reinforced anchoring in North American production networks under the USMCA. Theoretically, the article conceptualises Discreet Realism as a bounded variant of hedging under conditions of asymmetric interdependence with a geographically proximate dominant power, where diversification occurs through low-visibility statecraft.
Anchoring · China · Geopolitics · International relations · International relations theory · Realism · Herbal Medicine and Trade Cooperation · International Relations and Foreign Policy · International Relations in Latin America
Getting hedging right
Introduction
Realism and International Relations
Mexico’s Elusive Partnership with China
Hedging under hegemony
Mexico’s Trade Relationship with China in the Context of the United States–China Trade war
The New Triangular Relationship between the US, China, and Latin America
Hedging in international relations
The distribution of power in the periphery
China’s rise in Latin America and the Caribbean 1990–2019
The Meanings of Autonomy
Peripheral Realism Revisited
China-US competition in Africa
Geopolitics and discourse
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |