As world shifts, PH builds new bridge to Chile
As geopolitical tensions, trade disruptions and growing competition among major powers reshape the global economy, the Philippines is looking farther across the Pacific to strengthen ties with Chile, opening a new bridge between Southeast Asia and Latin America.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro capped an official visit to Santiago last week with meetings with Chilean President José Antonio Kast and Foreign Minister Francisco Pérez Mackenna, pushing for closer economic, maritime and people-to-people relations as the two countries celebrate 80 years of diplomatic ties.
The outreach comes as countries increasingly seek to diversify markets, suppliers and economic partnerships amid uncertainty in the global trading system. Chile itself has built an extensive network of trade agreements and is a member of the 12-economy Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
At the center of the renewed Philippines-Chile relationship is the recently concluded Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), the Philippines’ first bilateral free trade agreement with a Latin American country.
Chile, meanwhile, sees the agreement as another gateway to Southeast Asia. Once signed, the CEPA would become Chile’s 37th trade agreement and add the Philippines to its network of agreements with Southeast Asian economies. The deal would cover goods, services and investments, as well as digital trade, global value chains, small and medium enterprises, intellectual property, labor and environmental issues.
Lazaro told Pérez that the agreement would “leave the gates wide open for immense trade and investment opportunities, making our two countries more interconnected and interdependent than ever before.”
Her visit, she said, “reaffirms our shared commitment to strengthening the friendship and cooperation between our two Pacific-facing nations.”
In a courtesy call at the Palacio de La Moneda, Lazaro conveyed President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s greetings to Kast, who assumed office in March, and invited the Chilean leader to visit the Philippines.
The two sides discussed the CEPA as well as cooperation in the economic and maritime sectors and stronger people-to-people exchanges.
“The Pacific Ocean does not separate us, it links our destinies,” Lazaro said.
The Philippines and Chile also moved to broaden ties beyond trade. Before her talks with Pérez, Lazaro signed a memorandum of understanding on tourism aimed at strengthening cooperation between tourism authorities and increasing people-to-people links.
The diplomatic push is also strategically complementary. Chile has long positioned itself as a Latin American gateway to the Asia-Pacific, including through the Pacific Alliance and CPTPP, while the Philippines gives Chile access to one of Southeast Asia’s largest markets and a potential platform into ASEAN and regional value chains. Chilean authorities have explicitly described the Philippines as a new platform for the country’s integration into Southeast Asian value chains.
For Manila, closer relations with Santiago offer an opportunity to diversify economic relationships beyond its traditional partners at a time when geopolitical rivalry is making broader networks of trade, investment and diplomatic ties increasingly valuable.
The Philippines and Chile established diplomatic relations on July 4, 1946. Around 1,017 Filipinos were living in Chile as of the end of 2025.
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