< p>PHOENIX (AP) — Former Mexican President Vicente Fox is urging U.S. leaders to expand its partnership with Mexico to promote business. Either that or be left behind by China's emergence as the world's superpower.

At a news conference Thursday, Fox said the Chinese economy is forecast to emerge as the world's largest in a decade or so.

Fox led Mexico from 2000 to 2006. The Arizona Republic (http://bit.ly/SiqfdR) says he was the keynote speaker at a Peoria event aimed at promoting trade relations between Arizona and Mexico.

With a new president set to take over in Mexico and the upcoming presidential election in the United States, Fox says there is an opportunity for "a new path based on ... humanism, on compassion and on friendship" within the framework of shared western values.

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Information from: The Arizona Republic, http://www.azcentral.com