Travel to France, California, and Mexico, October 4-8, 2021

Summary

• Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken traveled to Paris, France October 4 – 6 to chair the Ministerial Council Meeting (MCM) of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and commemorate the organization’s 60th anniversary. The U.S. delegation included the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, the United States Trade Representative, the Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors, and the Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment. The Ministerial theme was “Shared values: Building a Green and Inclusive Future;” accordingly, advancing efforts to combat the climate crisis, promoting quality infrastructure development, and building a more inclusive and equitable future were among U.S. priorities at the MCM. Secretary Blinken also met with French counterparts to continue discussions on further strengthening the vital U.S.-France relationship on a range of issues including security in the Indo-Pacific region, the climate crisis, economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Transatlantic relationship, and working with our Allies and partners to address global challenges and opportunities.

• On October 7, Secretary Blinken traveled to Stanford, California where he met with former Secretaries of State and attended a memorial service for former Secretary of State George P. Shultz.

• On October 7 – 8, Secretary Blinken traveled to Mexico City, Mexico to co-lead the U.S. delegation to the U.S.-Mexico High Level Security Dialogue. Discussions with Mexican counterparts on this trip reinforced our strong bilateral relationship with Mexico and built upon various discussions in the previous months between our two governments.