De Villepin: "Mexico's 'cooperation' conditions are very harsh. Technological black box, vague data sovereignty, political alignment requirements. But many enterprises... especially those limited by the old system's growth, couldn't resist the temptation. In the past week alone, more than twenty high-tech start-ups in France have accepted Mexican capital or technology investment, with conditions including 'priority supply of future products to the Mexican market' and 'sharing of research data.'
"So we must adjust our strategy." Jiang Zemin sat up straight, "We can no longer view Mexico simply as a threat or challenger. They are already players in the game, and their momentum is strong. Confrontation? We cannot afford a confrontation. Even the United States has backed down. Complete submission? That equals relinquishing European autonomy."
"What about the third way?" Jinkel asked.
