The Chilean Government, under President Gabriel Boric, is coordinating measures to support Chilean exporters in response to the recent tariff hikes in the United States. During a meeting with ministers of Foreign Affairs, Finance, Economy, and Agriculture, the necessity to strengthen sectoral risk monitoring, intensify trade with other countries, and diversify Chilean markets and products was discussed. The meeting also addressed possible adjustments to ProChile's Export Fund and the incorporation of financial risk management tools for exporting companies.
A study reveals that 8.3% of Chile's exports would be subject to tariffs set by the United States. The 10% tariffs would take effect on April 5th, with higher tariffs applying from April 9th. However, the U.S. decided to implement a 90-day pause for countries with a tariff above 10%, reducing it to this minimum for the said period. Countries like the European Union, Japan, and India are left with a temporary tariff of 10%. China was the only nation excluded from this three-month relief.
Meanwhile, Chilean walnuts are making their mark in India, playing a key role in the national agri-food expansion. The recent business tour to India, which included a Chilean delegation from the walnut industry led by the Chilenat association, highlighted the growing interest in Chilean walnuts in the Indian market. Despite current tariff barriers reaching 100%, exports have continued to grow.
Chilean exports showed positive figures during the first quarter of 2025, reaching USD 27.048 billion, a 5.9% increase compared to the same period in 2024. Non-traditional and service exports, which recorded an increase of 6.3% and 28% respectively, were particularly noteworthy.
On the international front, Indonesia, the world's fourth most populous country and the seventh largest in terms of gross domestic product by purchasing power parity, joined the expanded BRICS+ group in January 2025.
In a meeting held in Washington, Chile and the United States agreed to establish a roadmap to strengthen their bilateral economic and trade relationship, despite the new tariff rates. They agreed to advance on three thematic axes and set a new meeting for June in Santiago, within the framework of the Free Trade Agreement.
Source:
- Gobierno coordina medidas para apoyar a exportadores chilenos ante alza de aranceles en EE.UU. (Diarioconcepcion.cl)
- El 8,3% de las exportaciones de Chile estaría afecto a aranceles fijados por Estados Unidos (Eltipografo.cl)
- La nuez chilena conquista India: clave en la expansión agroalimentaria nacional (Radioagricultura.cl)
- Exportaciones chilenas aumentan 5,9% en primer trimestre - PortalPortuario (Portalportuario.cl)
- El “espíritu de Bandung” y el desarrollo industrial de Indonesia, nuevo miembro de los BRICS+ (Elciudadano.com)
- Chile y EE.UU. acuerdan agenda bilateral en medio de nuevas tarifas arancelarias (Pauta.cl)