China and Chile Pledge to Deepen Trade and Belt and Road Cooperation

Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng met with Chilean Foreign Minister Pérez in Beijing on August 19, reaffirming mutual commitments to deepen bilateral trade, investment, and technological cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative. The meeting coincided with the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Chile comprehensive strategic partnership. Both sides emphasized strong economic complementarity and highlighted the strategic importance of expanding bilateral ties.

Chile serves as a major trade and economic partner for China in Latin America and was the first South American nation to sign a bilateral free trade agreement with Beijing. Deepening cooperation across trade, investment, and technology under the Belt and Road framework underscores Beijing's focus on securing vital supply chains—particularly in natural resources and critical materials—while consolidating its diplomatic ties across the Global South.

Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng met with Chilean Foreign Minister Pérez at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on the afternoon of August 19, according to reports published by state media Xinhua and People's Daily. During the meeting, He Lifeng, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, stated that political mutual trust between China and Chile has continued to deepen under the strategic guidance of both heads of state, yielding positive outcomes across practical cooperation fields. He emphasized the strong economic complementarity between the two economies. He noted that China is willing to carry forward its traditional friendship with Chile, strengthen economic collaboration, and expand exchanges across trade, investment, science, and technology within the framework of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation to push the China-Chile comprehensive strategic partnership forward. Foreign Minister Pérez highlighted that developing relations with China remains a priority for Chilean foreign policy, according to the official readout. Pérez expressed Chile's willingness to take the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership as an opportunity to deepen cooperation across various sectors and elevate bilateral relations to a new level. Chile was the first South American country to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China and among the earliest in the region to join the Belt and Road Initiative. The bilateral relationship has long been anchored by robust trade ties, with China ranking as Chile's largest trading partner.