The first Mexican women of López Obrador at the summit of the Pacific Alliance

The Pacific Alliance Summit, the free trade group composed of Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, will make its debut on the international stage of Mexican President-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador, at a time when a wave of protectionism is threatening global economic growth. [19659005Theleadersofthesefourcountrieswhichtogetherrepresent38%oftheAmericaswillmeetonMondayandinthepastinthecityofPalisacinthestateofJaliscointhewestofthecountry

López Obrador, 64, attends the meeting at the invitation of incumbent President, Enrique Peña Nieto, who will attend the summit with the first Chile's leaders, Sebastián Piñera; from Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos, and from Peru, Martín Vizcarra, who goes for the first time after taking the presidency in March

Presidents Michel Temer of Brazil, Mauricio Macri of Argentina and Tabaré Vázquez of Uruguay will also be present.

Members of Mercosur, who are seeking greater commercial openness, have approached the Pacific Alliance for greater integration of the two blocs.

With the exception of Vázquez, these center-right rulers who see well with the good eyes of the free market, they are the new face of the right turn of Latin America, a long atypical path in the region, and that Mexico has now avoided by choosing López Obrador.

The presence of López Obrador is a gesture of "good will" of Peña Nieto "in the sense that he presents it to the rest of the leaders of the Pacific Alliance especially now that we have the uncertainty of the place where will go Mexico's foreign policy r ", says Manuel Valencia, University of Tecnológico de Monterrey

After the election victory, López Obrador, who will take power on December 1, declared that he will seek an orderly transition from government. 19659005] The leftist has already had a first approach with senior officials of the United States, with the visit made to Mexico on July 14 by a delegation led by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo

. The future Mexican Foreign Minister, Marcelo Ebrard, described it as "respectful and cordial" at a time when relations between Mexico and the United States were strained under Donald Trump's government.

– Proteccionismo enfrente –

Before the hard relation With the United States, its biggest trading partner and beneficiary of 80% of its exports, Mexico turned towards regions like the Pacific and the European Union.

It is vital for Mexico, especially when it is renegotiating with Canada and the United States the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), an agreement that has been severely criticized by Trump

. with China, these alliances must be important and taken by the United States for the (negotiation) of NAFTA, "told local press Juan Pablo Castañón, president of the influential Coordinating Council of (CEC) underscored the importance of the Pacific Alliance and the Transpacífco Association Treaty (TPP-11) on the world stage.

However, Mexico and the countries of the world 39 Pacific Alliance face significant challenges such as trade tensions, they hover over the world and threaten to harm the global economy, as warned the International Monetary Fund.

At the beginning, the Trump government imposed two duties on steel and aluminum imports and also adopted similar measures against Chinese products.

Traditional trading partners such as Canada, Mexico or the European Union, besides China, have already imposed duties on US products in the first chapter. Adopting retaliation

"With this wave of protectionism, where all countries are moving towards more nationalistic policies, (the alliance) is an important platform," adds Valencia.

Launched in 2012, Free Trade accounts for 50% of total trade in Latin America and is the world's largest exporter of trout, avocados, blueberries, guavas and metals such as copper and the lead. At the same time, it is the fifth largest recipient of global foreign direct investment

Given this weight, countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Singapore have become candidates to membership.

The next summit of the Alliance del Pacífico will be the last for Peña Nieto and for the Colombian Santos, who will leave office on August 7th.