MEXICO CITY - Mexico has failed to pay proper attention to its relationship with the United States and will be more proactive in countering negative publicity it has suffered during the US election campaign, its new ambassador to Washington said on Thursday.
Donald Trump, Republican front-runner for the presidential nomination, has accused Mexico of sending drug traffickers and rapists across the border and of hurting US trade interests, and has vowed to build a border wall to shut the country out.
Other presidential hopefuls have also spoken out against the estimated 11 million undocumented migrants in the United States, roughly half of whom are Mexican, and expressed the need to renegotiate local trade deals in the United States' favor.
After being confirmed as the new ambassador in the Mexican Senate, Carlos Sada said Mexico would step up efforts to promote the interests of its citizens in the United States and deploy "cultural diplomacy" to improve its public image.