Belgium–Mexico relations
Encyclopedia
Belgium–Mexico relations are foreign relations between Belgium
and Mexico
. Belgium has an embassy in Mexico City
and six honorary consulates around Mexico (Cancún
, Guadalajara, Monterrey
, Puebla, Chihuahua
and Veracruz
). Mexico has an embassy in Brussels
. In 1836, Belgium—itself newly independent—recognized the independence of Mexico. In 1919, the Belgian Chamber of Commerce of Mexico was established. Belgium opened its embassy in Mexico on June 5, 1954.
. In 1537, Belgians began Mexico's first brewery. Starting in the 1830s, Belgian engineers worked in Mexico to build the first Mexican railroad with Belgian materials; there were even plans for a Nueva Bélgica, a colony to be built in Chihuahua.
Charlotte of Belgium
reigned as Empress of Mexico starting in 1864 as the wife of Maximilian I of Mexico
. When her husband, Maximilian I of Mexico
, faced execution, Belgium instructed its representative, Hoorickx, to assist the Austrian ambassador's ultimately failed efforts to persuade the Mexicans to grant clemency. In 1890 Belgium invested US$1.2 million to open a silver and copper mine in Michoacán
. In 1900 Baron Moncher, the Belgian Minister in Mexico, wrote a study of the conditions and resources of southern Mexican states while "contributing in great measure to the development of the commercial relations between Belgium and Mexico." In 1903 the National Railroad of Mexico
, in which the Mexican Government had a large financial interest, opened a standard gauge line. The turning of the previous narrow gauge railroad into a standard gauge railroad was accomplished with 25,000 tons of rails from Belgium. By 1913 the National Railroad of Mexico was lobbying the government of Victoriano Huerta
not to grant any further rights to the Belgian syndicate competing against them. Again in 1926 Belgium was shipping 1,000 tons of steel rails for the railroad. In 1940 Belgian residents of Mexico supported Hubert Pierlot
as Prime Minister of Belgium during the Nazi occupation.
, as president-elect, went to Belgium to discuss trade. In 2009, Prince Philippe, Duke of Brabant and a delegation of Belgian businessmen went to Mexico for a meeting with President Felipe Calderón
to discuss areas of cooperation. The business delegation's efforts were focused on aerospace, engineering, infrastructure and manufacturing opportunities.
. Belgium became independent in 1830, and in 1838, representatives were sent to Mexico. The first consulate-level representatives were sent to Mexico in 1842. In 1980, Mexican protesters peacefully occupied both the Belgian and Danish embassies to demand freedom for political prisoners and better living conditions for Mexicans.
owns a 50 percent share in Grupo Modelo
, Mexico's leading brewer and owner of the global Corona
brand.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Belgium has an embassy in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
and six honorary consulates around Mexico (Cancún
Cancún
Cancún is a city of international tourism development certified by the UNWTO . Located on the northeast coast of Quintana Roo in southern Mexico, more than 1,700 km from Mexico City, the Project began operations in 1974 as Integrally Planned Center, a pioneer of FONATUR Cancún is a city of...
, Guadalajara, Monterrey
Monterrey
Monterrey , is the capital city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León in the country of Mexico. The city is anchor to the third-largest metropolitan area in Mexico and is ranked as the ninth-largest city in the nation. Monterrey serves as a commercial center in the north of the country and is the...
, Puebla, Chihuahua
Chihuahua, Chihuahua
The city of Chihuahua is the state capital of the Mexican state of Chihuahua. It has a population of about 825,327. The predominant activity is industry, including domestic heavy, light industries, consumer goods production, and to a smaller extent maquiladoras.-History:It has been said that the...
and Veracruz
Veracruz, Veracruz
Veracruz, officially known as Heroica Veracruz, is a major port city and municipality on the Gulf of Mexico in the Mexican state of Veracruz. The city is located in the central part of the state. It is located along Federal Highway 140 from the state capital Xalapa, and is the state's most...
). Mexico has an embassy in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
. In 1836, Belgium—itself newly independent—recognized the independence of Mexico. In 1919, the Belgian Chamber of Commerce of Mexico was established. Belgium opened its embassy in Mexico on June 5, 1954.
History
In the 16th century, Belgian tradespeople traveled to what would become Mexico, where some of them encountered the InquisitionInquisition
The Inquisition, Inquisitio Haereticae Pravitatis , was the "fight against heretics" by several institutions within the justice-system of the Roman Catholic Church. It started in the 12th century, with the introduction of torture in the persecution of heresy...
. In 1537, Belgians began Mexico's first brewery. Starting in the 1830s, Belgian engineers worked in Mexico to build the first Mexican railroad with Belgian materials; there were even plans for a Nueva Bélgica, a colony to be built in Chihuahua.
Charlotte of Belgium
Charlotte of Belgium
Charlotte of Belgium is remembered today as Carlota of Mexico as empress consort of Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico, ex-Archduke of Austria.-Princess of Belgium:The only daughter of Leopold I, King of the Belgians by his second wife,...
reigned as Empress of Mexico starting in 1864 as the wife of Maximilian I of Mexico
Maximilian I of Mexico
Maximilian I was the only monarch of the Second Mexican Empire.After a distinguished career in the Austrian Navy, he was proclaimed Emperor of Mexico on April 10, 1864, with the backing of Napoleon III of France and a group of Mexican monarchists who sought to revive the Mexican monarchy...
. When her husband, Maximilian I of Mexico
Maximilian I of Mexico
Maximilian I was the only monarch of the Second Mexican Empire.After a distinguished career in the Austrian Navy, he was proclaimed Emperor of Mexico on April 10, 1864, with the backing of Napoleon III of France and a group of Mexican monarchists who sought to revive the Mexican monarchy...
, faced execution, Belgium instructed its representative, Hoorickx, to assist the Austrian ambassador's ultimately failed efforts to persuade the Mexicans to grant clemency. In 1890 Belgium invested US$1.2 million to open a silver and copper mine in Michoacán
Michoacán
Michoacán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 113 municipalities and its capital city is Morelia...
. In 1900 Baron Moncher, the Belgian Minister in Mexico, wrote a study of the conditions and resources of southern Mexican states while "contributing in great measure to the development of the commercial relations between Belgium and Mexico." In 1903 the National Railroad of Mexico
National Railroad of Mexico
The National Railroad of Mexico was one of the primary pre-nationalization railways of Mexico. Incorporated in Colorado in 1880 as the Mexican National Railway , and headed by General William Jackson Palmer of the Denver and Rio Grande Railway, it completed a narrow gauge main line from Mexico...
, in which the Mexican Government had a large financial interest, opened a standard gauge line. The turning of the previous narrow gauge railroad into a standard gauge railroad was accomplished with 25,000 tons of rails from Belgium. By 1913 the National Railroad of Mexico was lobbying the government of Victoriano Huerta
Victoriano Huerta
José Victoriano Huerta Márquez was a Mexican military officer and president of Mexico. Huerta's supporters were known as Huertistas during the Mexican Revolution...
not to grant any further rights to the Belgian syndicate competing against them. Again in 1926 Belgium was shipping 1,000 tons of steel rails for the railroad. In 1940 Belgian residents of Mexico supported Hubert Pierlot
Hubert Pierlot
Hubert Marie Eugène, Count Pierlot was a Belgian Walloon politician and jurist, the 32nd Prime Minister of Belgium between 1939 and 1945 .-Biography:He was a representative of the Catholic Party Hubert Marie Eugène, Count Pierlot (23 December 1883, Cugnon (Bertrix) – 13 December 1963, Uccle)...
as Prime Minister of Belgium during the Nazi occupation.
Official visits
In 2000 Vicente FoxVicente Fox
Vicente Fox Quesada is a Mexican former politician who served as President of Mexico from 1 December 2000 to 30 November 2006 and currently serves as co-President of the Centrist Democrat International, an international organization of Christian democratic political parties.Fox was elected...
, as president-elect, went to Belgium to discuss trade. In 2009, Prince Philippe, Duke of Brabant and a delegation of Belgian businessmen went to Mexico for a meeting with President Felipe Calderón
Felipe Calderón
Felipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa is the current President of Mexico. He assumed office on December 1, 2006, and was elected for a single six-year term through 2012...
to discuss areas of cooperation. The business delegation's efforts were focused on aerospace, engineering, infrastructure and manufacturing opportunities.
Diplomatic relations
Diplomatic relations were started in 1825 when Mexico established consular relations with the Kingdom of the NetherlandsKingdom of the Netherlands
The Kingdom of the Netherlands is a sovereign state and constitutional monarchy with territory in Western Europe and in the Caribbean. The four parts of the Kingdom—Aruba, Curaçao, the Netherlands, and Sint Maarten—are referred to as "countries", and participate on a basis of equality...
. Belgium became independent in 1830, and in 1838, representatives were sent to Mexico. The first consulate-level representatives were sent to Mexico in 1842. In 1980, Mexican protesters peacefully occupied both the Belgian and Danish embassies to demand freedom for political prisoners and better living conditions for Mexicans.
Treaties
- In 1861 a Friendship Treaty was initiated; it was ratified in 1862.
- In 1895 a Trade and Shipping Treaty was signed.
- A double tax treaty was signed between Mexico and Belgium on November 24, 1992. It was published in the Diario Oficial de la Federación of January 6, 1997 in Mexico. The treaty entered into force on January 1, 1997. For withholding taxWithholding taxWithholding tax, also called retention tax, is a government requirement for the payer of an item of income to withhold or deduct tax from the payment, and pay that tax to the government. In most jurisdictions, withholding tax applies to employment income. Many jurisdictions also require...
purposes, the treaty became effective on January 1, 1998. Concerning other taxes on income, the treaty will be effective for taxable periods ending on or after December 31, 1998.
Trade
Just after the end of World War I, Mexico placed large orders for arms and ammunition from both Belgium and Spain. In 2007, Mexico ranked 38th among Belgium’s trade partners. Belgian exports to Mexico were EUR 748 million, up from EUR 707 million in 2006; they grew by 5.8%. Belgian exports to Mexico accounted for 0.2% of Belgium’s total sales. Belgian imports grew from EUR 812 million in 2006 to EUR 1,050 million in 2007; they grew by 29.3%. 0.3% of Belgian imports came from Mexico. The American/Belgian company Anheuser-Busch InBevAnheuser-Busch InBev
Anheuser-Busch InBev N.V. is a Belgian-Brazilian publicly-traded company, based in Leuven, Belgium. It is the largest global brewer with nearly 25% global market share and one of the world's top five consumer products companies by EBITA....
owns a 50 percent share in Grupo Modelo
Grupo Modelo
Grupo Modelo is a large brewery in Mexico, It has 63% of the Mexican beer market, and exports beer to the United Kingdom, United States and Canada . Its export brands include Corona, Modelo, and Pacífico...
, Mexico's leading brewer and owner of the global Corona
Corona (beer)
Corona Extra, better known as Corona and labeled as Coronita in Spain, is a brand of pale lager owned and produced by Cerveceria Modelo at a number of breweries in Mexico. It is one of the best-selling beers in Mexico and is one of the top-selling beers worldwide...
brand.
Belgians in Mexico
- Pedro de GantePedro de GanteFray Pieter van der Moere, also known as Fray Pedro de Gante or Pedro de Mura was a Franciscan missionary in sixteenth century Mexico. Born in Geraardsbergen in present day Belgium, he was of Flemish descent...
, who was active from 1523 to 1572, devised a catechismCatechismA catechism , i.e. to indoctrinate) is a summary or exposition of doctrine, traditionally used in Christian religious teaching from New Testament times to the present...
in rebusRebusA rebus is an allusional device that uses pictures to represent words or parts of words. It was a favourite form of heraldic expression used in the Middle Ages to denote surnames, for example in its basic form 3 salmon fish to denote the name "Salmon"...
form. He organized a craft industry and art education and built hospitals for the native Mexicans.
- Simon PereynsSimon PereynsSimon Pereyns was a Flemish painter. He moved to Lisbon, Portugal in 1558 and later to Madrid, Spain. In 1566, he moved to Mexico where he gained fame as a painter of numerous works, most of which have not survived...
of Antwerp is considered the founder of Mexican painting, and some of his painted screens are in the Mexico City Metropolitan CathedralMexico City Metropolitan CathedralThe Metropolitan Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary of Mexico City is the largest and oldest cathedral in the Americas and seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mexico. It is situated atop the former Aztec sacred precinct near the Templo Mayor on the northern side of the Plaza de la...
.
- Carlos Francisco de Croix, marqués de CroixCarlos Francisco de Croix, marqués de CroixCarlos Francisco de Croix, marqués de Croix , was a Spanish general and viceroy of New Spain, from August 25, 1766 to September 22, 1771, a period of considerable turbulence....
of LilleLilleLille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
was appointed as viceroy (1766–1771). He suppressed native Mexican rebellions in the north of Mexico and expelled the JesuitsSociety of JesusThe Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
on June 25, 1767.
- Ronald ZollmanRonald ZollmanRonald Zollman is a Belgian conductor. He began musical studies at age 4. He attended the Royal Conservatories in Antwerp and in Brussels, and later studied with Igor Markevitch and Nadia Boulanger....
, from 1994 to 2002, was music director of the National Autonomous University of MexicoNational Autonomous University of MexicoThe Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México is a university in Mexico. UNAM was founded on 22 September 1910 by Justo Sierra as a liberal alternative to the Roman Catholic-sponsored Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico The Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) (National Autonomous...
Philharmonic Orchestra.
- Gustave Maryssael, an electrical engineer started SOFINA. In 1936 he was president of the Companía Mexicana the Luz y Fuerza Motriz and later director-generalDirector-generalThe term director-general is a title given the highest executive officer within a governmental, statutory, NGO, third sector or not-for-profit institution.-European Union:...
in 1962.