“Next year, the United States and Chile will mark 200 years of partnership,” remarked Secretary of State Antony Blinken on his recent visit there. “We have a relationship that has been bound together fundamentally by shared interests and shared values,” he said.
Economic ties between Chile and the United States have grown substantially since a free trade agreement was signed by both nations in 2003. As Secretary Blinken noted, “Trade between our countries has more than quadrupled, reaching more than $38 billion last year, supporting tens of thousands of jobs in both of our countries.” The United States is Chile's top source of foreign direct investment over time, investing more than $25 billion in high-growth areas like Chile's renewable energy sector. The United States has invested $760 million and provided technical assistance across five solar power projects in Chile, several of which are already powering homes and businesses across the country.
Chile's renewable energy sector provides 45 percent of the country's electricity supply and helps further Chile's ambitious clean energy goals, as Chile seeks to reach carbon neutrality by 2050.
Although Chile's economy has grown over the years, so too has inequality, as it has more broadly across the hemisphere, said Secretary Blinken. Under President Joe Biden, the United States is committed to partnering with Chile to demonstrate that democracies can deliver concrete results for their people, address their needs, and advance their aspirations. That's one of the reasons the United States launched the Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity. It is focused on laying the foundation for economic growth from the bottom up and the middle out by expanding digital connectivity and making supply chains more resilient in the Western Hemisphere.
The United States looks forward to working with Chile to expand access to essential services like health and education. The goal is to train and equip 500,000 local health care workers across the hemisphere in five years. “This initiative, if fully realized, will make a profound practical difference in the lives of millions of people across our hemisphere,” said Secretary Blinken.
He also expressed his appreciation for Chile's leadership on migration, including by hosting roughly half a million Venezuelan migrants and refugees and 180,000 Haitians.
Based on a foundation of shared values and interests, the U.S. looks forward to continuing its cooperation and partnership with Chile for years to come.
U.S.-Chile Relations Based on Shared Interests and Values
The United States and Chile have a relationship that has been "bound together fundamentally by shared interests and shared values,” said Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
