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A6 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 1 augusT 2024
Extortion and gang violence are hitting even big corporations and

business leaders in Mexico

By ALFREDO PEÑA leagues’ safety at risk.”
Associated Press Cartel violence in Mexico
CIUDAD VICTORIA, Mexico has long been focused on
(AP) — Even Mexico’s larg- smaller businesses, where
est corporations are now owners often visit their shops
being hit by demands from and are easily abducted
drug cartels, and gangs or approached by gang
are increasingly trying to members to demand extor-
control the sale, distribu- tion payments. But Femsa is
tion and pricing of certain the largest soft drink bottler
goods. in Latin America, the largest
Well-known, high-ranking Coca Cola bottler by sales
business leaders aren’t volume and is listed on the
even safe. Mexican stock exchange.
On Monday, the head of Nuevo Laredo has long
the business chambers’ been dominated by the
federation in Tamaulipas Northeast Cartel an off-
state, across the border shoot of the old Zetas car-
from Texas, gave televi- tel but the problem is start-
sion interviews complain- ing to hit larger companies
ing about drug cartel ex- nationwide. Sectors rang-
tortion in the state. Hours Mexican soldiers stand guard outside an Oxxo grocery shop near the Tamaulipas Chamber of ing from agriculture, fishing
later on Tuesday, Julio Al- Commerce, where its president Julio Cesar Almanza was killed, in Matamoros, Mexico, Tuesday, and mining to consumer
manza was shot to death July 30, 2024. goods have been plagued
outside his offices in the city Associated Press by cartels trying to essen-
of Matamoros, across from est chain of convenience cent weeks when gang that consisted of them tially take over their indus-
Brownsville, Texas. stores, announced late last members abducted two (gangs) demanding we tries.
“We are hostages to extor- week that it was closing all store employees, demand- give them certain informa- This week, the American
tion demands, we are hos- of its 191 stores and seven ing they act as lookouts or tion, and they even ab- Chamber of Commerce,
tages of criminal groups,” gas stations in another bor- provide information to the ducted two colleagues to whose members tend to be
Almanza said in one of his der city, Nuevo Laredo, be- gang. enforce this demand,” Ro- larger Mexican, American
last interviews. “Charging cause of gang problems. Since convenience stores berto Campa, Femsa’s di- or multinational corpora-
extortion payments has The company said it had are used by most people rector of corporate affairs, tions, released a survey of
practically become the na- long had to deal with car- in Mexico, the gangs see told local media. its members in which 12% of
tional sport in Tamaulipas.” tel demands that its gas them as good points to In a statement Monday, respondents said that “or-
The problem came to a stations buy their fuel from keep tabs on the move- Femsa said its stores in Nue- ganized crime has taken
head when the Femsa certain distributors. But ments of police, soldiers vo Laredo remain closed partial control of the sales,
corporation, which oper- the straw that broke the and rivals. this week “due to acts of distribution and/or pricing
ates Oxxo, Mexico’s larg- camel’s back came in re- “We had incidents in stores violence that put our col- of their goods.”q

China accuses Japan of ‘smear attacks’ in recent talks with the

U.S., India and Australia

BEIJING (AP) — China has the statement said. to bolster military coopera- terparts. ly about the U.S. deepen-
expressed strong dissat- Meeting in Tokyo on Sun- tion with the U.S. at what A joint statement said Chi- ing ties with other countries
isfaction to Japan about day, Japan’s foreign and are known as “2+2” talks na’s foreign policy “seeks in the face of China’s rise,
what it called “smear at- defense ministers agreed with their American coun- to reshape the internation- which President Joe Biden
tacks” against China at al order for its own benefit has made a priority during
recent high-level meetings at the expense of others” his four years in office.
with the United States, India and that such behavior The Foreign Ministry state-
and Australia, the Foreign represents “the greatest ment said China urges
Ministry said Wednesday. strategic challenge” in the Japan to stop making ir-
A ministry statement said Indo-Pacific region and be- responsible remarks on
that Liu Jinsong, the direc- yond. China’s internal affairs a
tor general of the Asian The U.S.-Japan talks were ikely reference to Taiwan
affairs department, con- followed by a meeting on and called on Japan to
veyed solemn representa- Monday of the foreign min- stop colluding with “certain
tions and serious concern isters from the Quad coun- countries” to form small cir-
at a meeting the previous tries the U.S. Japan, India cles that lead to confronta-
day with Akira Yokochi, the and Australia. The joint tion.
deputy chief of mission at statement did not mention A Japanese Embassy state-
the Japanese Embassy. China by name but ex- ment said that Yokochi had
“Liu pointed out that Ja- pressed opposition to “the expounded Japan’s posi-
pan’s smear attacks on U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, right, speaks during a militarization of disputed tions at the meeting and
China are self-contradic- news conference with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam features and coercive and made representations on
Jaishankar, from left, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa,
tory to its statement of pro- Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, following the Quad intimidating maneuvers in various China-related top-
moting the strategic and Ministerial Meeting at the Foreign Ministry’s Iikura guesthouse in the South China Sea.” ics, but it did not provide
reciprocal relationship be- Tokyo, on July 29, 2024. The Chinese government any details.q
tween the two countries,” Associated Press has complained repeated-