Republic of Chile

Relations between Brazil and Chile are marked by intense and dynamic trade and business exchange. In the field of political coordination, in which the two countries have deepened relations, the good understanding and the adoption of common positions have been frequent both in the regional and in the multilateral contexts.

Bilateral investments grow year after year, benefiting the economies and societies of the two countries. Brazil concentrates the largest Chilean stock of foreign investment worldwide, which have exceeded $35 billion. Chilean companies established in Brazil operate in areas as diversified as paper and pulp, retail and energy. Brazil, on its turn, has invested more than $4.5 billion in sectors of the Chilean economy, including energy, financial services, food industry, mining, steel industry, construction and pharmaceutical industry. In November 2015, the two countries signed the Cooperation and Investment Facilitation Agreement (CIFA).

Trade between Brazil and Chile is virtually entirely liberalized under the scope of the Chile-MERCOSUR Economic Complementation Agreement (ACE Nº 35). In 2018, Brazil was the largest trading partner of Chile in Latin America, and Chile was the second-largest trading partner of Brazil in South America. According to data from the Brazilian Ministry of Economy, bilateral trade exchange between the two countries totaled an estimated $8.3 billion in 2019 – a decrease of nearly 14,7% compared to 2018. Both Brazilian exports (-19,5%) and imports (-6,1%) decreased, resulting in a reduction of the Brazilian surplus (-34,6%), reaching $2 billion. Crude oils, meat, automobiles and tractors are among the main Chilean exports to Brazil, while copper by-products, salmon and wine account for the main Brazilian imports from Chile.

In 2018 Brazil and Chile signed important bilateral trade agreements: the Government Procurement Agreement, the Protocol on Investment in Financial Institutions, which complemented the Cooperation and Investment Facilitation Agreement, and the Free Trade Agreement, which, once in force, will include the above mentioned protocols. The Free Trade Agreement also sets out a modern, wide ranging legal framework, including non-tariff issues such as trade competitiveness policy, trade facilitation, e-commerce, sanitary and phytosanitary issues, gender, environment and labor issues.

In the South American context, Chile is a key partner of Brazil. The two countries share the view that the ongoing regional integration initiatives can be convergent. They also work together to promote dialogue between the Pacific Alliance and the MERCOSUR.

In addition, Brazil and Chile share the interest in improving regional infrastructure. Projects in this area include the Bioceanic Road Corridor linking Porto Murtinho to ports in northern Chile. In December 2015, on the sidelines of the MERCOSUR Summit, the Presidents of Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Paraguay signed the Asunción Declaration on Bioceanic Corridors, giving priority to the construction of this logistic route.

Bilateral relations also show great potential for cooperation in science and technology, in Antarctica and in defense. In August 2018, the ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defense of the two countries chaired the first bilateral Military and Political Dialogue Meeting (2+2 Mechanism), held in Brasília, and signed a protocol on the Exchange of Defense Data and Codification Services.
 

Chronology of bilateral relations

2020 - Signing of Memorandum of Understanding between Brazil and Chile on Cooperation in Telecommunications and Digital Economy (July 24)

2020 – Signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation between the Instituto Rio Branco and the Diplomatic Academy Andrés Bello (Brasília and Santiago, June 26) 

2019 – The minister of Foreign Affairs of Chile, Teodoro Ribera, visits Brazil (Brasilia, September 5)

2019 – The president of Chile visits Brazil (August 28) 

2019 – The president of Brazil pays an official visit to Chile (Santiago, March 22-23) 

2018 – Negotiations of the Brazil-Chile Free Trade Agreement are concluded (Santiago, October 16-19)

2018 – Third Round of Negotiations of the Brazil-Chile Free Trade Agreement (Brasília, September 12-14)

2018 – Second Round of Negotiations of the Brazil-Chile Free Trade Agreement (Santiago, August 7-10)

2018 – First Meeting of Brazil-Chile Political-Military Dialogue (Mechanism 2+2) (August 9)

2018 – First Round of Negotiations of the Brazil-Chile Free Trade Agreement (Brasilia, June 6-8)

2018 – The President of Chile, Sebastián Piñera, visits Brazil (Brasília, April 27)

2018 – The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Chile, Roberto Ampuero visits Brazil (Brasília, April 18)

2018 – President Michel Temer visits Chile on the occasion of the inaugural ceremoy of President-elect Sebastián Piñera (Valparaiso, March 11)

2017 – Foreign minister Aloyisio Nunes Ferreira makes his first official visit to Chile (April 10-11)

2016 – President Dilma Rousseff visits Santiago (February 26-27)

2015 – The minister of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade, Armando Monteiro, visits Chile. Signing of the Cooperation and Investment Facilitation Agreement between Brazil and Chile (Santiago, November 23)

2015 – The minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Mauro Vieira, makes an official visit to Chile, when he holds work meetings with President Michele Bachelet and other authorities of the Chilean government (April 17)

2014 – The President of the Republic of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, visits Brazil (June 12)

2014 – The minister of Foreign Affairs, Luiz Alberto Figueiredo Machado, visits Santiago (May 6)

2014 – Chilean foreign minister Heraldo Muñoz visits Brasília (April 3)

2014 – President Dilma Rousseff visits Chile to participate in the inauguration ceremony of president Michelle Bachelet (March 10-12)

2014 – The minister of Foreign Affairs, Luiz Alberto Figueiredo Machado, visits Santiago (March)

2013 – President Dilma Rousseff visits Chile and meets with presidente Sebastian Piñera on the sidelines of the First CELAC Summit. Signing of the Antarctic Cooperation Agreement (January 26)

2012 – The minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Chile, Alfredo Moreno, visits Brazil (October 7-8)

2012 – The minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Chile, Alfredo Moreno, visits Brazil (April 18)

2011 – The Second Meeting of the Brazil-Chile Bilateral Commission is held in Santiago, on the occasion of the visit of foreign minister Antonio de Aguiar Patriota. Acts are signed in the areas of digital television, culture and education (April 1)

2010 – The First Meeting of the Brazil-Chile Bilateral Commission is held in Brasília, on the occasion of the visit of the Chilean foreign minister Alfredo Moreno. Complementary agreements are signed in the areas of health, social development, and sports (August)

2010 – The President of Chile, Sebastián Piñera, visits Brazil (April 9)

2010 – President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva visits Santiago to express solidarity following the earthquake that struck Chile on February 27 (March)

2010 – The Brazil-Chile Bilateral Commission is established and the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Digital Terrestrial Television is signed on the occasion of the visit of foreign minister Celso Amorim to Santiago (February)

2009 – President Michelle Bachelet visits São Paulo on the occasion of the Brazil-Chile Business Seminar (July 30)

2007 – Brazil, Chile and Bolivia meet in La Paz to discuss the Santos-Arica bioceanic road corridor (December)

2007 – President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva visits Chile. The presidents of Brazil, Chile, and Bolivia commit to inaugurate the Santos-Corumbá-Santa Cruz de la Sierra-Arica/Iquique interoceanic corridor during a trilateral meeting in La Paz (April)

2006 – Minister Celso Amorim visits Chile and takes part in the Third Meeting of Foreign Ministers of the South-American Community of Nations and of the Latin-American Business Meeting (Santiago, November 24-26)

2004 – Start of Chile’s leading participation, together with Brazil, in the operations of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH)

1996 – Chile joins MERCOSUR as an associate member, in June

1964–1973 – Significant number of Brazilian left militants seeks asylum in Chile during the military regime in Brazil

1922 – Legations of the two countries are elevated to Embassy status

1915 – Argentina, Brazil and Chile sign the ABC Pact (officially called the Non-aggression, Consultation and Arbitration Pact), which is not ratified by the Chilean Parliament

1884–1886 – By a casting vote, Brazil is chosen to chair arbitration courts handling claims from neutral countries during the War of the Pacific against Chile

1879–1883 – War of the Pacific between Chile, Peru and Bolivia. The Chilean Army occupies Lima in 1881. Brazil remains neutral during the conflict

1838 – The first bilateral treaty between the two countries (Treaty on Friendship, Trade and Navigation) is signed on September 1

1836 – Diplomatic relations are established on April 22