On February 16, the 4th Meeting of the ASEAN-Chile Development Partnership Committee (AC-DPC) was held at the ASEAN Secretariat’s headquarters. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen the development partnership through the implementation of the Practical Cooperation Areas (PCA) for the period 2021-2025. The PCA is entering its third year of implementation and serves as a guiding document for engagement and cooperation between ASEAN and Chile. Furthermore, they will explore innovative ways to implement activities, including through modalities such as webinars and workshops. The cooperation in the following areas was agreed upon: trade and investment, mining industry including critical minerals, climate change, gender equality, digital economy, public health, smart cities, sustainable and renewable energy including green hydrogen and energy efficiency, good governance, sustainable forest management and investment in the forestry sector, and circular economy.
Currently, Chile has bilateral FTAs with four ASEAN countries including Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Viet Nam, and a regional trade agreement known as the P4 with three other countries including Brunei Darussalam, Singapore, and New Zealand. Chile has no FTAs with the remaining four countries in the region including Cambodia, Laos People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, and the Philippines. Chile is also a signatory to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), which includes six countries in the region. Moreover, Chile is part of the economic association agreement with the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership (P-4) – New Zealand, Singapore, Brunei Darussalam.
