Migración y paridad diplomática. Las “puertas abiertas” mexicanas y el primer tratado con la China (1899)

The article provides a re-examination of the main drivers that led to the treaty between the Mexican Republic and the Chinese Empire in 1899. Apart from diplomatic negotiations, which have already been explored in the scientific literature, the article focuses on the impact of the modernization processes that took place in both countries in the final decades of the XIX century. On the one hand, the author takes into consideration the Mexican debate on immigration during the Porfiriate; on the other, he pays attention to the late Qing quest for diplomatic parity, which built on the efforts to protect Chinese nationals abroad. The article addresses the legacy of the coolie trade to the Americas and finally locates the first Sino-Mexican treaty against the backdrop of the US anti-Chinese legislation of the 1880’s and beyond.