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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Trade will be the main topic when Mexican President Vicente Fox visits Utah on May 23, a governor's office spokesman said.
"Were anxious to promote Utah products and services in Mexico in order to enhance our own economy," said Mike Mower, spokesman for Gov. Jon Huntsman.
Fox will be the first Mexican head of state to visit Utah. Huntsman extended the invitation in July 2005, when visiting Mexico with a delegation of Utah business leaders.
Utah and Mexico have long cultivated economic, educational and cultural ties, but there's plenty of room to grow the economic trade relationship, said Joe Reyna, chairman of the Utah Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
Utah's annual trade budget with Mexico is about $122 million, Reyna said. The amount is small when compared to neighboring states like Idaho, which does $320 million.
"I would like to see trade numbers between $300 million and $400 million," Reyna said. "We have so many companies here that are not necessarily Fortune 500 companies, but have a lot to offer."
That includes encouraging Mexican citizens to visit Utah's many tourist destinations.
"Sometimes we forget that Mexico has affluent people that come here to ski," Reyna said. "With all the press, including international and Mexican, this is our chance to be exposed."
Besides trade talks with state officials, Fox's visit will include meetings with Utah religious leaders and members of the Mexican community living here.
Huntsman has also called for a special joint session of the Legislature so lawmakers can hear from Fox. The debate over immigration is a likely topic, the governor's office said.
"Immigration will certainly be discussed; however, the solution to the immigration problems are made out of Washington, D.C., at a federal level, not in Salt Lake City," Mower said.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
