Yumari CEO Andres Díaz Bedolla at the Entrepeneurship World Cup, receiving its US $100,000 prize. The Mexican company won the top prize in the Early Stage category.
The Mexican startup Yumari received an online congratulations from Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard on Tuesday after winning a major prize in the 2024 World Entrepreneurship Cup held in Saudi Arabia.
Yumari CEO Andrés Díaz Bedolla posing with then Foreign Affairs Minister Marcelo Ebrard in 2023 at Mexico’s FASSST Forum. (Andres Díaz/Instagram)
Ebrard’s enthusiasm was certainly deserved, as Yumari’s win made it the first Mexican company — and the first Latin American company — ever to win a top prize in the Cup.
After five days of intense competition involving more than 100 startups from 52 countries, Yumari emerged last week as the Cup’s winner of the Early Stage category – a prize given to companies in the early stages of their development — which came with a US $100,000 award.
Yumari’s digital platform connects international buyers to producers and manufacturers in Mexico and the rest of Latin America that can create custom-made products for them. It specializes in handling the entire production process, from selecting factories and conducting audits to quality control and managing exports.
Young Mexican entrepreneur Andrés Díaz Bedolla, who founded Yumari among his many projects, was interviewed by Mexico News Daily CEO Travis Bembenek in July. His “clear objective” with Yumari, the article noted, “is to make sure Mexicans stand to benefit from nearshoring.”
Indeed, the platform aims to leverage Latin America’s competitive advantages, such as quality materials and proximity to major markets, as alternatives to manufacturing in Asia. Emphasizing sustainability and social responsibility, it targets direct-to-consumer (D2C) products such as apparel, textiles and beauty and home goods.
Díaz said the prize money will continue bolstering the startup’s tech team and upping its artificial intelligence. Yumari is using an AI model to support its clients throughout the entire process: development, factory selection, sampling, production and logistics.
Yumari’s CEO Andrés Diaz Bedolla in October, giving Yumari’s elevator pitch at a similar competition, the 2024 Startup World Cup in San Francisco, where it won in the Mexican Regional category. Click on the image to hear his pitch.
“At Yumari, we are reimagining the future of cross-border trade and manufacturing,” Díaz told the online magazine Entrepreneur en Español. “We are convinced that strengthening global supply chains while supporting regional suppliers can have a massive impact.”
The Entrepreneurship World Cup culminated last week at BIBAN 24, a forum in Saudi Arabia aimed at fostering the growth of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Held in Riyadh, the forum featured 250 speakers, 1,350 exhibitors and over 120,000 attendees.
Top finishers in the competition were selected in categories dependent on the startup’s status: idea stage, early stage, growth stage and innovation track. Yumari was the only winner from Mexico.
The US $200,000 grand prize went to Mismar, a Saudi Arabian company in the growth stage. It won for its “automotive tech and digitized after-sales services that enhance customer experience,” according to Arab Founders, a media platform that covers startups and venture capital in the Arab world.
Overall, more than US $1 million was given out as prizes, Arab Founders noted. Co-organized by the Global Entrepreneurship Network and Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises, BIBAN 24 is one of the world’s largest and most diverse pitch competitions and support programs.
MND Perspectives: Will Mexico benefit from nearshoring?
Learn more about the opportunities and potential pitfalls Mexico could encounter as it embraces nearshoring, in the Mexico News Daily podcast, “Will Mexico Benefit from Nearshoring?”
In the statement, the SE reported that the manufacturing sector accounts for 56% of the total planned investment with an expected value of $36.9 billion. (Shutterstock)
From January through September, private companies announced their plans to invest over US $64.7 billion in Mexico, according to data published by the Economy Ministry (SE).
These investments are expected to materialize within the next two to three years, the SE said in a statement.
A map highlighting the states in Mexico that have received the most investment announcements through September 2024. (SE)
In the statement, the SE reported that the manufacturing sector accounts for 56% of the total planned investment with an expected value of $36.9 billion. This segment includes the beverage, automobile, auto parts, iron and steel and electronic components industries.
Next is the construction industry, with a planned investment of $7.46 billion, followed by the commerce sector with $6.9 billion. Finally, mass media, transportation, energy, professional services, real estate, mining and agriculture make up the rest of the industries with investment plans in Mexico.
The countries that have announced the largest investments in Mexico include the United States, which accounts for 46% of the announcements, followed by companies from Germany with 11%, and Spain with 8%.
Additionally, several other countries have announced investments in Mexico this year, including Canada, India, Brazil, China, Italy, France, Argentina, Switzerland, Colombia, Pakistan, Portugal, Austria, Philippines, Sweden, South Korea, the United Kingdom and Japan.
The main destinations for investments in 2024, according to the SE, are Querétaro (11%), Nuevo León (11%), Veracruz (10%) and México state (10%).
The companies that have announced the largest investments so far this year are Mexican FEMSA group, with an expected investment of $9.9 billion, Amazon Web Services with $4.9 billion, DHL Supply Chain with $4 billion, Walmart with $3.9 billion and Constellation Brands with $3 billion.
Regarding foreign direct investment (FDI), Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard said in a conference on Wednesday that Mexico had received $35.7 billion in FDI from January to September 2024, a growth of 8.5% compared to the preliminary result for the same period in 2023.
The official projected that FDI in Mexico at the end of 2024 will be $38.2 billion, a record sum.
According to the GBM’s Nearshoring Barometer 2024, from October 2022 to July 2024, Mexico has seen 118 foreign investment announcements totaling $122.7 billion. However, only $13.2 billion worth of these projects have been completed — meaning that 89% ($109 billion) remains unrealized.
In recent years, Mexico has accepted migrants from Venezuela, Cuba and other countries that refuse to cooperate with U.S. deportations. (Damián Sánchez/Cuartoscuro)
United States President-elect Donald Trump confirmed on Monday that he plans to use the U.S. military to carry out his proposed mass deportation operation, an initiative that could result in millions of immigrants being sent to Mexico.
On his social media platform Truth Social, Trump shared a Nov. 8 post by the president of the conservative group Judicial Watch, Tom Fitton, who, citing “reports,” wrote that the incoming Trump administration is “prepared to declare a national emergency and will use military assets to reverse the Biden invasion through a mass deportation program.”
The former and soon-to-be president of the United States stated during the presidential election campaign that he planned to carry out “the largest deportation operation in American history,” but until Monday he hadn’t indicated that he would use the military to execute it.
Reuters reported earlier this month that Trump was “expected to mobilize agencies across the U.S. government to help him deport record numbers of immigrants.”
As president, Trump will have the authority to declare a national emergency to support his deportation operation, thus “unlocking standby powers that include redirecting funds lawmakers had appropriated for other purposes,” The New York Times reported.
“During his first term, … Mr. Trump invoked this power to spend more on a border wall than Congress had been willing to authorize,” the newspaper said.
Trump will have the authority to declare a national emergency to support his deportation operation, which is the same strategy he used to allocate more money to the border wall during his first term. (File photo/Andrea Hanks for the White House)
The Times also reported that “one major impediment to the vast deportation operation that the Trump team has promised in his second term is that Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, lacks the space to hold a significantly larger number of detainees than it currently does.”
However, it noted that Stephen Miller, Trump’s top immigration policy adviser, said in late 2023 that military funds would be used to build “vast holding facilities that would function as staging centers” for immigrants as their cases progressed and they waited to be flown to other countries.
The news website Axios reported that “Trump’s mass deportations are expected to impact roughly 20 million families” across the United States.
There are an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States, a significant number of whom are Mexican. Former foreign affairs minister and current Environment Minister Alicia Bárcena said in February that there were 5.3 million undocumented Mexicans living in the United States.
In addition to Mexicans, the United States could attempt to deport nationals of other countries, such as Venezuelans, Nicaraguans and Cubans, to Mexico.
Citizens of those nations “are sometimes unable to be deported to their origin countries for diplomatic reasons,” The New York Times reported.
Mexico ‘must be ready’ for mass deportations, but is it?
In addition to Mexicans, the United States could attempt to deport nationals of other countries, such as Venezuelans, Nicaraguans and Cubans, to Mexico. (DHS/X)
“Trump has the support of the citizens and that means that what is politically incorrect can be politically viable,” she said.
Sheinbaum, who spoke to Trump by telephone two days after his Nov. 5 election victory, hopes that Mexican officials can meet with the incoming president’s transition team before he takes office on Jan. 20 to put forward a case against mass deportations.
The United States economy would inevitably suffer from the deportation of a large number of workers, a point Mexican officials would likely raise with members of Trump’s team.
Nevertheless, it appears likely that Mexico will receive a significant number of deportees during Trump’s second term as president, if not the millions he has promised to expel.
Senda de Vida, a migrant shelter in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, already receives between 40 and 100 migrants every day. “Neither the shelters nor the border area nor Mexico are ready for this,” the shelter’s manager Héctor Silva told the Washington Post. (@OIM_Mexico/X)
The Washington Post reported last week that migrant advocates in Mexico “are alarmed at what’s coming,” noting that they have said that “sending millions of jobless Mexicans back to towns they left years ago could create chaos in areas already suffering from poverty and organized crime.”
The Post spoke to two men who run migrant shelters on the Mexico-U.S. border for an article it headlined “Trump promised mass deportations. Mexico isn’t ready.”
“Neither the shelters nor the border area nor Mexico are ready for this,” Héctor Silva, a Protestant pastor who runs the Senda de Vida migrant shelter in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, told the Post.
Migrant shelters in Mexico’s border cities already struggle to accommodate migrants who make the long and dangerous journey through the country in their attempt to reach the United States.
Francisco Gallardo, a Catholic priest who runs the Casa del Migrante shelter in Matamoros, another border city in Tamaulipas, told the Post that “no one is prepared for deportations” of the magnitude Trump has spoken about.
“Neither the governments nor the civil society organizations,” he said.
Sheinbaum has appeared optimistic that the number of immigrants deported won’t be as high as the incoming U.S. president has said it will be. (Victoria Valtierra/Cuartoscuro)
Adam Isacson, a migration analyst and director for defense oversight at the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), said that deportees to Mexico “will be thrown into a new kind of poverty” because they won’t be able to find jobs with wages comparable to those they earned in the United States.
That situation “will make them more desperate,” he said.
Deportees could even be tempted to work for organized crime groups in Mexico, one of the largest employers in the country, according to a 2023 study.
One person who is less concerned about Mexico’s capacity (or lack thereof) to absorb large numbers of deportees is Arturo Rocha, a former senior immigration official in Mexico.
“We are prepared to receive large numbers; we have done this before,” he told the Post. “But the key question is, how massive will massive deportations be?”
Sheinbaum, who also faces the task of defusing Trump’s tariff threats, appears optimistic — or at least hopeful — that the number of immigrants deported won’t be as high as the incoming U.S. president has said it will be.
Asked last week about the potential impact of deportations on remittances to Mexico, Sheinbaum simply said, “We hope there is no impact,” i.e. that no, or virtually no, Mexican immigrants are deported.
For his part, Trump’s incoming “border czar” Thomas Homan said in October that deportations during the second Trump administration wouldn’t be “a mass sweep of neighborhoods” to detain undocumented immigrants.
“It’s not going to be building concentration camps. I’ve read it all. It’s ridiculous. It’ll be concentrated. They’ll be targeted arrests,” he said.
Michel concluded his video by saying “a Cuban in Mexico ‘has’ and ‘can’ in contrast to a Cuban in Cuba who ‘doesn’t have’ and ‘can’t.” (Screen capture)
A TikTok video, in which a Cuban immigrant compares his experiences in Mexico City to the life he left behind back home, has gone viral.
Michel Crónicas has made a name for himself chronicling his life in Mexico and his latest TikTok video — in which he lauded the freedoms and cultural events he has found in Mexico City, and the ready access to basic goods and services — has sparked a flurry of reactions.
The video shows clips of Michel describing his life from various places around the Mexican capital, each beginning with some iteration of his trademark phrase “I am a Cuban in Mexico and I can …”.
“I am a Cuban in Mexico and I’ll tell you the truth. I am a Cuban in Mexico and I can buy many types of bread … and I have many options for public transportation … and I can even buy clothing and shoes on the street.”
The TikToker highlighted aspects of Mexico City life that chilangos (residents of the capital) take for granted, but might be seen as luxuries for people coming from countries with fewer liberties. Among them were the freedom to simply walk on the sidewalk, to hail a cab, to attend concerts and cultural events.
Michel concluded his video by saying “a Cuban in Mexico ‘has’ and ‘can’ in contrast to a Cuban in Cuba who ‘doesn’t have’ and ‘can’t.”
The video had received 68,000 “likes” and almost 3,000 comments through the weekend, according to the Cuban digital outlet CiberCuba. The most animated comments were posted by Cubans and Mexicans, though the video touched a chord around the world.
Many Mexicans responded with pride, according to CiberCuba, grateful for the emotion and admiration Michel demonstrates for his adopted country, while others mused that freedoms in Mexico are often presupposed.
“Cubans know how to speak more beautifully about Mexico than Mexicans themselves, thank you,” wrote one commenter, while another added, “Here, you are also Mexican, my friend.” Yet another commented, “Many Mexicans do not value the independence and freedom we have in this beautiful country”
Cubans living abroad also spoke up. “I understand you perfectly; I also left Cuba and the difference is enormous,” wrote one expat, according to the newspaper El Universal.
Two Cubans now residing in Mexico were equally emphatic. “I am Cuban in Mexico and I love this country; I truly value my life here,” wrote one, while another added, “I have been living here for 26 years, and I love this country and its kind people.”
Many analysts say Cuba is experiencing its worst crisis in three decades. Food and energy shortages affect more than half of the island’s population, while the high cost of fuel has made public transport nearly obsolete.
The iconic and colorful Calle Juárez (Alfonso Bouchot/Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0)
Downtown Villahermosa, the capital of Tabasco state, has been growing in popularity in recent years. As part of a new program of the Tourism Ministry in Mexico, itwas included in the list of 32 Barrios Mágicos (Magical Neighborhoods). Following the success of Pueblos Mágicos, created in 2002, this initiative aims to preserve and promote areas of historical significance, “where you can discover the spirit and essence of a city.”
TheHistoric Center of Villahermosa, known as Zona Luz, was recently selected as a Barrio Mágico. Covering 143 hectares, this special area includes five fully pedestrianized cobblestone streets and is home to some of the oldest buildings in the city, along with shops, restaurants and cafes.
Aerial view of Villahermosa. (Wikimedia Commons)
The beauty of downtown Villahermosa has also been enhanced by factors that increase its value. According to the Mexican Association of Real Estate Professionals (AMPI), real estate in Villahermosa has risen by between 20% and 40% in recent years. This, of course, makes it an attractive location for people looking for affordable real estate and a chance to savor life in the real Mexico.
What is special about downtown Villahermosa?
First and foremost, its history. The fact that the traditional neighborhoods of Villahermosa still stand today is largely a miracle. Founded between 1540 and 1557 by a group of Spaniards, the city endured systematic pirate sieges from 1557 to 1795. This was followed by the American invasion in 1846 and 1847, the French occupation from 1863 to 1864 and the Mexican revolution during the first half of the 20th century.
In Zona Luz, you will find El Playón, where Tabasco’s first airstrip was located, as well as the traditional neighborhoods of Santa Cruz, Esquipulas, La Concepción and La Punta. The charm of this zone is accentuated by colorful buildings with an eclectic blend of neoclassical and baroque architecture. If you’re sightseeing in town, you cannot miss these iconic landmarks, complemented by the famous streets of Narciso Sáenz and Juárez:
Called the National Bank of Mexico Building, it was constructed between 1850 and 1855. (Alfonso Bouchot/Wikimedia Commons)
Casa de los Azulejos, now home to the Tabasco History Museum
The Juárez Institute
The National Bank of Mexico Building
The Tabasco Government Palace
The beauty of Villahermosa’s downtown is further enhanced by the recently restored Carlos Madrazo promenade overlooking the Grijalva River, which features seven hectares of restored sports facilities, 18,000 square meters of parks, and a nearly six-kilometer bicycle path, along with the restoration of Parque Los Pajaritos. Additionally, more than 150 shops located on Paseo Tabasco Avenue will preserve buildings of historical value as part of efforts to revitalize the area.
The rise of real estate in Downtown Villahermosa
The inclusion of downtown Villahermosa in the list of Barrios Mágicos has been a significant factor in the increase of real estate investments in the city. Earlier this year, former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador visited Villahermosa to inaugurate infrastructure projects as part of an urban improvement program, with an investment of at least 3 billion pesos.
Villahermosa experienced a boom in the 1960s due to the expansion of the oil industry in the area. Today, this sector continues to grow, contributing to the demand for rental and purchase of real estate in the city.
Villahermosa’s “warm climate, lush nature, and rich culture, with gastronomic options, outdoor activities, and a welcoming atmosphere,” make the city an ideal place to visit, according to a report by Coldwell Banker Real Estate.
This is perhaps the most famous building in downtown Villahermosa: Casa de los Azulejos (Alfonso Bouchot/Wikimedia Commons)
The same document highlights the economy and opportunities associated with the energy sector, sustainable urban development with modern infrastructure, shopping centers, and amenities that enhance quality of life. It also emphasizes ongoing improvements in urban infrastructure, including roads, public transportation, and basic services.
Additionally, the tropical climate supports an outdoor lifestyle, featuring abundant green spaces and terraces, as well as lush vegetation surrounding the city, including parks, lagoons, and ecological reserves such as La Venta, the incredible archaeological site featuring the famous Olmec heads.
If you’ve visited or invested in Villahermosa recently, why not let us know in the comments?
Ana Paula de la Torre is a Mexican journalist and collaborator for various outlets including Milenio, Animal Político, Vice, Newsweek en Español, Televisa and Mexico News Daily.
Need some clorox or some croquetas for the dog? I hope you know the right name to ask for them by! (Edgar Negrete Lira/Cuartoscuro)
The Mexican phenomenon of shopping by only refering to brand names isn’t entirely a new one. The first time I ever heard the word “gelatin” in the United States, I was already a teenager.
“I’m sorry, what?”
There are some basic vocabulary words you’ll need to know in order to navigate your everyday shopping in Mexico properly. (Sanchezysanchez/Wikimedia Commons)
After a bit of explaining, I finally got it. “Oh, you mean Jell-o!” I said. It may not have been my most sophisticated moment, but it did teach me, for the first time, what “generic” meant.
For many things, you simply have to know the brand name. So you don’t need “vegetable shortening,” you need Crisco. You’re not looking for “hazelnut spread,” you’re looking for Nutella. “Tissues”? Oh, you mean Kleenex!
In Mexico, it’s pretty much the same — only sometimes it’s more fun because you get to sit and think about the pronunciation for a bit.
Nowhere is this more evident than at your local “tienda.” Each store owner organizes its wares according to the space it has. As a result, you won’t always be able to wander around until you see what you want. Often, you’ll have to ask for something by name, and it’s very possible it’s kept behind the counter.
Detergents, Band-Aids, and even spreads have their unique names in Mexico’s tiny convenience stores. (Isaac Esquivel/Cuartoscuro)
It’s also very possible that you could get a confused expression for a few beats before receiving an answer. It’s asking about gelatin all over again.
Words to know at the tiendita (and how to use them)
The following is a list of some common items that are typically called things besides how they’d be “genetically” described. Feel free to add more in the comments!
Fabuloso (and Pinol)
Need to do some cleaning? Pair these with “cloro” (bleach) — you know, at your own risk — and you’ll be disinfecting with the best of them!
Fabuloso is one of the most popular brands of multi-purpose cleaner, used for floors, countertops, and even the concrete in front of your house. Pinol is the same, though not quite as popular.
I’m a Pinol girl myself because I just can’t get enough of that pine smell! I can be swayed by a nice apple cinnamon Fabuloso in the fall, though.
Fabuloso is one of Mexico’s most popular brands of multi-purpose cleaners. It’s also a catch-all term for floor cleaners(維基小霸王/Wikimedia Commons)
Leche Clavel
“Clavel” is the name for “carnation”, so I bet you can guess what this is: Carnation milk, or evaporated milk!
Not only is that my favorite flower, but it’s also my preferred addition to some delicious Veracruz coffee. I actually discovered that by accident one day when I went to the store for a liter of milk. Weirdly, they didn’t have any, so I picked up a can of leche clavel instead, figuring it was better than nothing. Once I poured it into my coffee, I discovered it was actually better than everything, and the key to a deliciously creamy café con leche.
Queso Philadelphia
The few times I’ve tried asking for “cream cheese”, I’ve been met with blank stares. “Oh, you mean queso Philadelphia?”
Well, I suppose I do! I’m not totally sure what most people use it for here; I rarely see it being spread on anything. I myself need it to make my mom’s “cheese pie,” paired with lime and “Lechera” (sweetened condensed milk). Come to think of it, you’ll want to ask for “Lechera” as well. Blend those three ingredients with a little vanilla and pour it into a cookie pie crust, and you’ve got yourself the official dessert of my childhood!
Croquetas
‘Croquetas’ are sold by the kilo, and (Graciela López/Cuartoscuro)
This isn’t actually a brand name, but you’ll still need to say this instead of “dog food” or “cat food”. At the tiendita you can typically find them in giant open bags, and they’ll sell it to you by the kilo. Some might be a bit squeamish about the sanitary implications of open bags of food, so that will depend on your own level of tolerance. I’ve never had any bad experiences, though.
Curitas
This is basically the Spanish-language brand name for Band-Aids. “Vendas adhesivas” might take some explaining. It’s a cute and clever name, though, derived from the verb “curar”, to heal. Adorable!
The nice thing too about Curitas, and even things like Dramamine or Aspirin, is that you can usually buy just one or two at a time; no need to get a whole box!
Papel estrella
This is one that really tripped me up, and you can’t usually get it at a regular tiendita. You’ve got to go to a store that specializes in baking, or perhaps a party supply store. “Papel estrella” is parchment paper, and it’s called that because the parchment paper sold here has little red stars printed on it. You can get a small roll, or you can buy it by the sheet!
Not too many people seem to do a ton of baking here, so it’s more of a “specialty” item. It also shouldn’t be confused with more widely-available wax paper, which can start a fire if you try to put it in your oven. Be careful with that one!
I actually found a pretty big roll of parchment paper at Costco. I do a lot of baking, and it really is kind of a miracle product: no sticking to the pans at all!
Bonus: Coca
As Mexico’s beloved soda, cokes can be found in the ‘retornable’ format: a glass bottle to be refilled. (Jordan Whitfield/Unsplash)
Now, I know you know what Coca-Cola is. It’s ubiquitous here, everyone’s favorite “refresco”! It’s so popular that you can even get it in retornables.
Coca is also used, in a round-about way, as a suggestion for a tip. For example, if someone wants to provide a service to you that doesn’t have a set price, they might simply ask for a donation “para la Coca“. Incidentally, this can be a clever way for people to ask for bribes as well. Coke is not expensive, of course, so the suggestion is to be understood as a request for, basically, a token.
So now the question is… what have I missed? I mostly focused on food-related items, but there are examples all over the place. Let’s hear yours!
Sheinbaum proposed that the summit participants redirect 1% of military spending to create a new global reforestation program. (Sheinbaum/X)
An address to her fellow G20 leaders in which she proposed “the biggest reforestation program in history.”
Bilateral meetings with world leaders including United States President Joe Biden, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
A “gathering” with the four other leaders of the MIKTA partnership.
President Claudia Sheinbaum had a busy day at the G20 Leaders Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Monday, after taking two commercial flights to reach the world-famous city on Sunday.
Sheinbaum’s trip to Brazil to meet with the leaders of the world’s largest economies is her first international trip since she was sworn in as president on Oct. 1. Her predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, did not attend any G20 summits during his six-year term, preferring to focus on domestic issues rather than international ones.
Sheinbaum, head of a Mexican delegation that also includes Foreign Affairs Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente and Energy Minister Luz Elena González Escobar, will not attend the second day of the G20 summit, as she will return to Mexico to preside over Mexican Revolution Day proceedings on Wednesday.
Sheinbaum on the world stage at the G20 Rio summit
“The proposal is to stop sowing war. Let’s sow peace and let’s sow life.”
With those words, Sheinbaum concluded her maiden address to G20 leaders, which she made during a session on “Social Inclusion and the Fight against Hunger and Poverty.”
The proposal she put to many of the world’s most powerful politicians was to establish “a fund that allocates 1% of the military expenditure of our countries to carry out the biggest reforestation program in history.”
Under the proposal, Sheinbaum said, around US $24 billion per year could be allocated to the program.
En el inicio de los trabajos del G20 Brasil 2024, resaltamos que el gasto en armas creció casi al triple que la economía mundial en tan solo dos años; en cambio, 700 millones de familias aún viven por debajo de la línea de la pobreza. pic.twitter.com/w0puHsSVVl
“Every year we allocate $1.7 billion to support 439,000 families in Mexico and 40,000 in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. In six years, more than 1 million hectares have been reforested with the planting of 1.1 billion trees,” Sheinbaum said.
The planting of trees in that area is “equivalent to capturing 30 million tonnes of CO2 annually,” she said.
During her speech, Sheinbaum also said that it is “absurd” that global expenditure on weapons is increasing when 700 million people live in poverty.
“What’s happening in our world that in just two years, spending on weapons grew [at] almost triple [the rate] of the global economy?” she asked.
“… It’s absurd, nonsense, that there is more spending on weapons than to combat poverty or climate change,” Sheinbaum said.
She also said that she refused to believe that “we’re capable of creating artificial intelligence,” but “incapable of giving a hand to those left behind.”
‘All Mexican women arrived’ to a position of power
Speaking to a gathering of mainly men, Sheinbaum noted that she had “the great honor” of becoming Mexico’s first female president when she was sworn in almost seven weeks ago.
“I didn’t arrive alone,” she told her fellow leaders.
“All the female farmers, migrants, workers and professionals arrived. Our grandmothers, our daughters and our granddaughters arrived. All Mexican women arrived,” Sheinbaum said.
Sheinbaum was the only woman leader at the G20 summit in Rio. (Claudia Sheinbaum/X)
Among other remarks, the president highlighted the continuation of the Mexican governance model encapsulated by the slogan, “For the good of all, the poor first,” and told the summit that Mexico is among the least indebted nations in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
She also spoke about the record high foreign direct investment in Mexico and touted the construction of numerous infrastructure projects in Mexico in recent years, including new railroads and airports.
“There is democracy, freedom, plurality and the right to dissent [in Mexico],” Sheinbaum said.
“Security and justice institutions are being strengthened and peace is being built,” she said.
Migration, security and economy the focus of Sheinbaum’s discussion with Biden
Sheinbaum said on social media that she spoke with Biden about “the good relationship there is and which there must be between Mexico and the United States.”
She also said she spoke to the U.S. president about “the importance of working together” on matters related to migration, security and the economy.
It was the first — and likely last — time that Sheinbaum met face-to-face with Biden, who will be succeeded by Donald Trump on Jan. 20.
Trump, of course, was not at the G20 summit, but he — and his plans for his second term as U.S. president — were no doubt very present in the minds of world leaders, and in their discussions with their counterparts from the world’s major economies.
Sheinbaum will be the third Mexican president to steer Mexico’s relationship with the United States while Trump is in office. Enrique Peña Nieto was the first while López Obrador, who maintained a friendly relationship with Trump, was the second.
Enrique Peña Nieto was the first Mexican president to govern alongside former U.S. President and current President-elect Donald Trump, during his first term in office. (Enrique Peña Nieto/Facebook)
The White House on Monday said in a statement that Biden congratulated Sheinbaum on her election and inauguration as president during their meeting in Rio, and “reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to building a prosperous North America with good paying jobs.”
“The two leaders underscored the importance of maintaining cooperation on migration, security and tackling the scourge of transnational criminal violence, and economic issues, building on the strong bilateral partnership between the United States and Mexico,” the statement said.
Trudeau, Xi and Macron also met with Sheinbaum in Rio
A steady flow of updates from Rio appeared on Sheinbaum’s social media accounts throughout Monday.
A meet and greet with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at the start of the day. A photo of the president speaking, with Biden, Trudeau, French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi also in the frame. Posts about the president’s bilateral meetings with Biden, Trudeau, Xi and Prime Minister of Vietnam Phạm Minh Chính.
Sheinbaum said she spoke to the Canadian prime minister about the “good result” of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) for North America.
According to a statement from Trudeau’s office, the two leaders “spoke about the importance of economic security and underscored the mutually beneficial effects of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement,” or CUSMA, as the pact is known in Canada.
Sheinbaum’s meeting with Trudeau came at a time when two Canadian premiers, Doug Ford of Ontario and Danielle Smith of Alberta, are agitating for Canada to seek a bilateral agreement with the United States rather than the extension of a trilateral pact that includes Mexico.
The USMCA is up for review in 2026, and Trump has said he will have “a lot of fun” renegotiating it. Mexico’s trade and investment relationship with China is a central concern for the incoming U.S. president.
A social media post showed Sheinbaum shaking the hand of President Xi, but made no mention of Mexico’s trade relationship with China or Chinese investment in Mexico.
Con motivo de la Cumbre de Líderes del G20, conversamos con el presidente de China, Xi Jinping. Agradecí todo el apoyo para la recuperación de Acapulco mediante la producción y entrega de enseres domésticos. pic.twitter.com/oWhd755fLQ
Sheinbaum simply said that she thanked the Chinese leader for “all the support” China provided for the post Hurricane Otis recovery in Acapulco “through the production and delivery of domestic appliances.”
“We agreed to strengthen the cultural relationship,” Sheinbaum said on social media.
The Mexican president also met with French president Macron, and the two leaders agreed to cooperate on “water, health and infrastructure issues,” according to the federal government.
MIKTA and ‘Latin America united’
Sheinbaum, currently the only female leader of a G20 nation, also participated in the MIKTA Leaders Gathering along with the leaders of Indonesia, South Korea, Turkey and Australia.
“MIKTA aims to bridge divides in the multilateral system and build consensus on complex and challenging issues, drawing on the diverse perspectives of its members and their shared interest in upholding international law and promoting the multilateral system.”
Interior Minister Rosa Icela Rodríguez said on X that the Indonesian, Korean, Turkish and Australian leaders thanked Mexico for its “successful presidency” of MIKTA in 2024 and “praised the progress in strengthening multilateralism, placing women at the center of development efforts and deepening coordination between authorities … for development.”
Sheinbaum also engaged with the presidents of Chile and Colombia, who attended the G20 Summit despite their countries not being members of the group.
“Latin America united. We met with our friends, the presidents of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva; Chile, Gabriel Boric Font, and Colombia, Gustavo Petro Urrego at the G20 Leaders Summit,” Sheinbaum wrote in a social media post that included a photo of the four leaders.
América Latina unida. Nos encontramos con nuestros amigos los presidentes de Brasil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva; Chile, Gabriel Boric Font, y Colombia, Gustavo Petro Urrego en la Cumbre de Líderes del G20. pic.twitter.com/Kl6vChJhQT
Argentine President Javier Milei was at the G20 Summit, but is clearly not a part of that “united” front, being more aligned with Trump than the aforesaid quartet of Latin American leftists.
CDMX to Rio via Panama
“In line with one of the principles of her government, republican austerity,” Sheinbaum flew from Mexico City to Rio via Panama on a commercial airline, the president’s office said in a statement.
While far less folksy and considerably more urbane and taciturn than López Obrador, Sheinbaum is making a concerted effort to remain close to — or at least not too far removed from — “the people” AMLO so frequently extolled. Part of that effort is to fly commercial.
President Sheinbaum boards a commercial flight from Mexico City to Brazil for the G20 summit. (Presidencia/Cuartoscuro)
Instead, like López Obrador, Sheinbaum lined up with the hoi polloi at Mexico City International Airport before taking her seat in the coach section of a Copa Airlines plane.
She met with Panamanian Foreign Affairs Minister at Tocumen International Airport in Panama city before continuing her journey to Rio.
CORRECTION: The original version of this report quoted President Sheinbaum as saying that 100 billion trees have been planted in Mexico over the past six years. She did indeed say that, but in fact only 1.1 billion trees have been planted in the period. We have amended the report to reflect what Sheinbaum meant rather than what she said.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is the second Canadian politician who has recently questioned Mexico's inclusion in the USMCA free trade deal. (Danielle Smith/X)
A second premier of a Canadian province believes that Canada would be best served by a bilateral free trade agreement with the United States rather than the current USMCA deal, a trilateral agreement that includes Mexico.
“A thousand percent,” Smith responded. “… I’m very much in sync with what he has to say.”
Earlier in the interview, Smith said she recently met with Robert Lighthizer, United States trade representative during Donald Trump’s first term as U.S. president, and that “he gave us a pretty good insight into what it is the Americans want.”
“The Americans want fair trade, they want us to buy as much product from them as they buy from us and as a whole Canada absolutely does do that. … The real issue we have is that Mexico has not been that equal partner with the United States,” she said, apparently referring to Mexico’s large trade surplus with its northern neighbor.
“And in addition to that they’re inviting China to engage in investment in Mexico, which is hollowing out the manufacturing sector in both America as well as Canada. And that’s why I think we need to take a bilateral approach, put Canada first,” Smith said.
Smith joined Ontario Premier Doug Ford in calling for Canada to consider cutting Mexico out of the next North American free trade agreement. (Doug Ford/X)
“… Look, Mexico is important to Canada, they’re our fourth largest trading partner in Alberta, but just to give you the idea of the difference in the relationship: We have about $2.9 billion in bilateral trade with Mexico, we have $188 billion in bilateral trade with the United States. We certainly cannot sacrifice our relationship and friendship with our largest trading partner if this is a trade irritant,” the premier said.
“That’s why I’m committed to a Canada first approach. If we can get a bilateral agreement, I think that would allow us to be able to avoid tariffs,” Smith added, referring to tariffs Trump has threatened to impose on imports from all of the United States’ trade partners.
“It’s pretty clear that the Americans have indicated that they want to have a fair trade relationship. Mexico’s not in a position to be able to offer that, especially with the investment that they have from China,” Smith said.
Her comments came after Ford accused Mexico of becoming a low-tariff “backdoor” into North America for Chinese products.
“If Mexico won’t fight transshipment by, at the very least, matching Canadian and American tariffs on Chinese imports, they shouldn’t have a seat at the table or enjoy access to the largest economy in the world,” the Ontario premier wrote on X last Tuesday.
“Instead, we must prioritize the closest economic partnership on Earth by directly negotiating a bilateral U.S.-Canada free trade agreement that puts U.S. and Canadian workers first.”
Unlike some regional politicians, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has indicated his support for Mexico’s continued participation in the USMCA deal. (Cuartoscuro)
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum subsequently said that Ford’s proposal to terminate the USMCA “has no future.”
“There is no need to worry,” she added.
For his part, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau — who attended the G20 summit with Sheinbaum in Rio de Janeiro on Monday — has indicated that he wants the USMCA to continue.
Trump, like Ford, has railed against Mexico forwarding Chinese products north, saying in an address at the Detroit Economic Club last month that he would seek “strong new protections against transshipment” in the USMCA “so that China and other countries cannot smuggle their products and auto parts into the United States tax-free through Mexico to the detriment of our workers and our supply chains.”
The incoming U.S. president has threatened to impose tariffs on Mexican exports to the United States, and declared in October that he would “have a lot of fun” renegotiating USMCA, which is scheduled to be reviewed in 2026.
However, Trump has not advocated the termination of the pact he negotiated and signed during his first term as president.
“I terminated NAFTA. That’s a pretty big thing. A lot of people said it would be impossible to do. I got it done, and we have a great deal now,” he said in Detroit on Oct. 10.
“What we have to do is make it much better even, and we’ll be able to do that very shortly,” Trump said.
The illegal plantings allegedly belonged to “Los Chapitos,” a faction of the notorious Sinaloa Cartel linked to the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán. (Foto especial)
The Mexican Navy located and destroyed 6 metric tons of marijuana on Saturday in collaboration with the Federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR) in the northwestern state of Sinaloa.
While carrying out helicopter patrols over rural areas of north-central Sinaloa, the Naval Ministry (Semar) personnel spotted a sizable field of suspicious plants and alerted troops on the ground.
The Marines moved in and found 22,113 plants in a large tract of land outside the community of Zalate de los Ibarra, near the state’s capital, Culiacán. Semar reported that the plants were cut down and incinerated on Sunday, in cooperation with FGR officials.
The newspaper El Universal reported that the herbage was found in an area controlled by Los Chapitos, a faction of the notorious Sinaloa Cartel linked to the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, currently serving a life sentence in a U.S. federal prison.
In a related development, Security Minister Omar García Harfuch on Friday announced the capture of Omar “N,” a leader of the Los Chapitos faction. Though the suspect’s name was censored for privacy, it was clear that the man in question was alleged Chapitos leader Omar Félix Loaiza, also known as “El Pelón.”
García Harfuch said the suspect was arrested in Culiacán during a joint operation by the Defense Ministry, Semar, the National Guard and the FGR.
The Navy and FGR burned 6 metric tons of marijuana that had been growing in the fields. (via Reforma)
Félix Loaiza is allegedly the cartel’s top man in the border town of Sonoyta, Sonora, and, according to the newspaper El País, was said to be leading Los Chapitos in their war against Los Mayos — another Sinaloa Cartel faction — that began in early September.
“El Pelón” is wanted on charges of homicide, arms trafficking and human trafficking by the U.S. government, which also accuses him of smuggling fentanyl into the southern state of Arizona.
He is also accused of arming drones with explosives, according to the newspaper Milenio, a tactic that has heightened the violence in the Sinaloa Cartel’s internal conflict.
Early Monday morning, the rival gangs engaged in a shootout in Imala — 25 kilometers east of Culiacán — that left parts of the Culiacán municipality without electricity.
President Claudia Sheinbaum, an internationally recognized climate expert, has proposed an ambitious plan for Mexico's renewable energy transition. (Presidencia/Cuartoscuro)
Time Magazine has named President Claudia Sheinbaum as one of the 100 most influential climate leaders in business for 2024, a list that includes decision-makers, executives, researchers and innovators who are deemed to play an important role in driving successful and equitable climate action.
“Few world leaders can claim to know as much about climate science as Mexico’s new President Claudia Sheinbaum,” Time Magazine wrote.
The recently elected president holds a doctorate in energy engineering from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and has contributed to two major reports for the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Sheinbaum has vowed to expand renewable energy to 45% of total power generation by 2030, compared to around 24% in 2022. “We all need strong, public state energy companies that guarantee clean energy at low prices to current and future generations,” she said during her inaugural presidential speech on Oct. 1.
The president has extensive experience implementing green energy policies in her previous role as mayor of Mexico City, where she launched the city’s first electric bus fleet and developed one of the world’s biggest urban solar projects at the Centro de Abasto wholesale market.
However, many are questioning whether she will pursue the energy strategy of her predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador. As president, AMLO focused on nationalizing Mexico’s energy industry, invested heavily in the indebted national oil company Pemex and curbed private spending on renewable energy during his six years in office.
Sheinbaum faces the complicated task of supporting the state oil company Pemex while transitioning the country toward more renewable energy sources. (Refinería Olmeca-Dos Bocas/X)
Sheinbaum has pledged to continue supporting Pemex, while also delivering an “ambitious” state-led plan for the energy transition, Time wrote.
In April, Sheinbaum announced plans to invest $13.6 billion in new energy generation projects including gas, wind, solar and hydroelectric power plants, in addition to thousands of kilometers of new transmission lines.
Yet, in the 2025 federal budget, announced on Nov. 15, funding for the Environment Ministry was cut by 39.4% to 44.37 billion pesos. This aligns with Sheinbaum’s implementation of “republican austerity” measures aimed at reducing the budget deficit.
Sheinbaum may also influence international energy initiatives in her role as president. On Monday at the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sheinbaum proposed the creation of a global fund for “the biggest reforestation program in history.” Under her proposal, countries would redirect 1% of their military spending to the fund, raising around $24 billion to reforest 15 million hectares of land every year.
“The proposal is to stop sowing wars, let’s sow peace and let’s sow life,” Sheinbaum said.
