Mexico should seek free trade with Brazil

-Calderon

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexico and Brazil should  negotiate a free trade agreement to boost commercial ties,  Mexican President Felipe Calderon said yesterday.

Calderon, who is in Brazil for a state visit, is a staunch  supporter of free trade and has argued that opening up trade is  the easiest way for poor nations to develop their economies.

“Today we should understand that the opportunity for Mexico  and Brazil is a greater integration of commercial ties,”  Calderon said in a speech in Sao Paulo, Mexican media  reported.

Mexico’s economy has been slammed by the recession in the  United States, its biggest trading partner. Gross domestic  product is expected to contract by at least 6.5 per cent this  year, putting Mexico on track for its worst economic downturn  since the Great Depression.