Sheinbaum’s G20 visit exposes Mexico’s diplomatic neglect

President Sheinbaum at the G20 in Brazil in November 2024. Image credit: Associated Press / Alamy.

President Claudia Sheinbaum attended the G20 in Brazil this week, the first trip of its kind for a Mexican president in years. Her predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO), famously avoided international events, taking only a handful of foreign trips. Sheinbaum notably flew economy on a commercial flight to the summit. She used her attendance to promote a controversial tree planting program. The President also confronted US President Joe Biden over the capture of drug lord Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada against a backdrop of increasing violence back home, and highlighting the diminished state of Mexican diplomacy after years of neglect.

Sheinbaum pushed Sembrando Vida, a program from AMLO’s tenure that pays rural residents to plant trees. According to El País, she called it “the largest reforestation programme in history.” But according to Bloomberg, the program has been linked to massive deforestation as landowners clear forests to qualify for funds. Still, Sheinbaum claimed it helps “mitigate global warming” and urged world leaders to divert 1% of global arms spending to expand it globally. “Stop sowing wars, and start sowing peace,” she said. The proposal, it’s fair to say, is going nowhere.

Even so, the irony was striking. Her government’s recently published 2025 budget proposes cutting environmental spending by 40% while maintaining massive support for Mexico’s failing oil giant Pemex. The gap between her rhetoric and reality was vivid.

Pressing Biden on “El Mayo” was an equally striking choice. Sheinbaum could have asked for US help in tackling Sinaloa’s cartel wars or emphasized regional cooperation as Trump’s return looms. Instead, she effectively lobbied for an alleged drug lord. Prioritising that over Mexican business or civil society sent a baffling message.

The fallout hit fast. Back home, Canadian premiers called to exclude Mexico from the USMCA. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau slammed Mexico for allowing Chinese imports a “back door” to North America, hours after Sheinbaum assured Mexicans Trudeau backed Mexico’s place in USMCA. Speaking to Canadian media, Trudeau warned Mexico to “step up” or risk losing its spot in the trade bloc.

Trudeau’s claims don’t add up. Chinese investment in Mexico is overstated, and Canada offers little to a US-Mexico deal given America’s reliance on Mexican manufacturing. But Trudeau’s remarks exposed a bigger issue: Mexico’s faltering diplomacy. Years of austerity gutted the foreign service, and the impact was clear as Mexico returned to the global stage.

Sure, Canada’s rhetoric is election-driven and aimed at currying favour with Trump. But it also reflects Mexico’s recent neglect of serious engagement with Canada. Nothing about this spat was necessary. It’s another sign of how Sheinbaum’s government is unprepared for the challenges of a new Trump era, leaving Mexico exposed.

Sheinbaum’s G20 attendance was a step forward after six years of international isolation. Her presence mattered. But she left with little to show beyond a needless confrontation with an important partner. At the G20, she said she’d rather be called an idealist than a conformist. A fine sentiment. But the statecraft on display wasn’t idealism or conformism. What Mexico conveyed to the world this week was something worse: amateurism.