Internationalists consulted by Political Expansion They describe Sheinbaum’s decision to participate in the meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil as a success, however, they see it as inappropriate that in his first message to the world he proposes the program Sowing Life as a contribution to the solution to poverty.
“It was a monumental mistake to live in isolation, so attending the G20 is a good decision because Mexico is once again joining the table of those who dialogue. The forum it goes to is also important, Mexico is joining the powers that are defining the global agenda. Mexico is one of the top 20 economic powers on the planet, so it has to make its word and its feelings known,” explains Javier Urbano, an expert in international relations at the Universidad Iberoamericana and member of the National System of Researchers.
Former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador chose to travel abroad very little: the United States (four times) and seven other countries as part of a tour in Central America were his only trips abroad. The argument for traveling little was that the best foreign policy was internal.
The last time the Tabasco politician left the country was in November 2023, to San Francisco, to participate in the Leaders’ Summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC). He traveled after reconsidering his initial decision not to go, to attend to the express invitation made to him by the President of the United States, Joe Biden.
In 2019, when the first opportunity to attend the G-20 arose, López Obrador decided to send a letter and have the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Marcelo Ebrard, attend on his behalf.
(Taken from Twitter @m_ebrard)
Sheinbaum’s presence has generated expectations at the Summit. Heads of State from different countries have shown interest in meeting and talking with the president, which, according to specialists, should be taken advantage of by the Mexican president to strengthen relations with other nations.
Until the weekend, the Foreign Ministry had confirmed the following bilateral meetings:
With Presidents:
-Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
-France, Emmanuel Macron.
South Korea, Yoon Suk-Yeol.
With Prime Ministers:
-Canada, Justin Trudeau.
-United Kingdom, Keir Starmer.
-India, Narendra Modi.
-Japan, Shigeru Ishiba.
-Vietnam, Pham Minh Chinh.
“The G20 meeting represents opportunities for Mexico, it represents the country’s presence in international forums, it opens possibilities to take advantage of opportunities that can be established through contact with the heads of state, which former President López Obrador avoided,” says Rafael Velázquez. Flores, professor at the Autonomous University of Baja California (UABC) and president of the Center for Teaching and Analysis of Foreign Policy of Mexico AC
Urbano agrees that Mexico must expand its alternatives, especially given how complex the relationship with the United States has become.
“The fact that there is a woman in the Presidency for the first time generates attention, curiosity and of course it is a window of opportunity to organize priorities and take advantage of the attention that is given to Mexico to dialogue with China and other countries, so that we do not enter into tension with the United States now that Trump has become President,” he comments.
The G20 is the stage where the economies that represent the 85% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the world, 80% of investment, 75% of world trade and 66% of the world population. Institutions such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the World Trade Organization, the Inter-American Development Bank, the International Labor Organization, among others, also attend.
