Chile's foreign minister heads to Asia with November in mind

Chile’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Francisco Pérez Mackenna, began a tour of China, Vietnam and Japan on Tuesday with an agenda of high-level political and economic meetings. One date organises the whole trip: President José Antonio Kast’s visit to China in November, for the APEC Leaders’ Summit.

“Chile sees in these countries strategic partners that can play a fundamental role in our effort to regain economic momentum,” the minister said as the tour began. The agenda he described aims to attract investment, broaden the export basket, open new markets and add areas of cooperation, among them the development of human capital.

Beijing and Shanghai, the groundwork

In China, Chile’s largest trading partner with an exchange of 67.105 billion dollars in 2025, the minister will visit Beijing and Shanghai. The list of counterparts shows the weight Santiago gives the trip: Foreign Minister Wang Yi; Vice Premier of the State Council He Lifeng, a close collaborator of President Xi Jinping and the official behind China’s most recent trade agreements; Minister of Science and Technology Yin Hejun; and Zhou Haibing, vice-minister of the National Development and Reform Commission, the body that sets Chinese economic policy and steers the Belt and Road programme.

The stated aim is not to increase volume but to change its composition: to add value to the relationship and broaden Chile’s export basket towards services. The minister will also meet business leaders to present Choose Chile, a programme designed to attract investment.

Chart by Revista Diplomática with figures from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Hanoi, the fast-growing economy

In Vietnam the minister will visit Hanoi, where he is expected by Foreign Minister Lê Hoài Trung and Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Tuc.

One figure explains the scale: in 2025 bilateral trade passed 2.1 billion dollars and grew 39 per cent in a single year. Vietnam is one of the most dynamic economies in ASEAN and one of the main destinations for Chilean products within the bloc. Chile’s intention is to diversify that relationship towards renewable energy, mining, agriculture, science and technology, innovation and education.

Tokyo, and a date in 2027

In Japan, Chile’s second-largest trading partner in Asia with an exchange of 11.062 billion dollars, the minister will meet Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Minister of Economy and Trade Yamada Kenji, along with the governor of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, Kazuhiko Amakawa, and business representatives.

The relationship has held the status of Strategic Partnership since 2018, and one of its pillars has been the exchange of knowledge on natural disasters and resilience, a field in which neither country needs much explaining to the other. In 2027 the two mark 130 years of diplomatic relations, and the Foreign Ministry wants to use that anniversary to move the relationship from the exchange of raw materials towards value chains in technology, critical minerals and the energy transition.

The three stops answer the same question on different timelines: what Chile will sell in Asia over the next decade. The answer starts to be written in November, when the President lands in China.

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chile.