TIJUANA.- South of the border, Tijuana has tried to convert the region into an innovation hub in order to spur job creation, according to Tijuana Mayor Jorge Astiazaran Orci, during his participation in a panel entitled "Mexico at Peace. Migration, security and international commerce. Opportunities for the border region", one of the forums scheduled during the event Mexico's Muscle, Revealing the Strength.
During the event which took place at the Council of Foreign Relations the Tijuana Mayor indicated that the exchange of human capital has been a fundamental part of border dynamics during recent decades, and has facilitated the consolidation of a binational platform known as the Cali-Baja megaregion.
According to Astiazarán, "as a border, the initiative that we are promoting is to develop binational clusters in the aerospace, biotech, automotive, medical devices, information technology, and electronics sectors, as well as our digital government initiative. This initiative could strengthen Mexico's position as a global contender."
Astiazarán highlighted the fact that commerce, investment, tourism, and other activities, have been around for many decades, which is why Tijuana is a global region and in collaboration with California this could become a major reality.
Astiazarán emphasized that Tijuana is not just a border city with the United States, but that it is located in a strategic spot for Asian companies that are seeking investment in Mexico, or are interested in entering the American market.
Astiazarán assures that he is "confident that we have a great potential to propel the regional economy with this strategy, and we are going to continue to work towards achieving it. Our goal is to make Tijuana a city technology and innovation force."
Eduardo Medina Mora, Mexico Ambassador in the U.S., and Gil Kerlikowske, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Commissioner, were also in attendance in the panel.
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