Against the background of geopolitical and economic changes in the international arena, Chile is exploring the possibility of strengthening ties with the BRICS group, which unites the largest developing economies. This issue became the central theme of the discussion “BRICS: regional challenges”, which took place at the University Academy of Christian Humanism in Santiago. The experts analyzed the prospects for the possible accession of the republic to the work of the association.
The event was supported by a number of organizations and the media, including the portal Crónica Digital and the News Agency Prensa Latina, included in the partner network TV BRICS.
The participants of the meeting stressed the importance of Chile’s rapprochement with BRICS. According to experts, this will allow the country to expand foreign policy ties and contribute to the construction of a more equitable economic and political world order.
Rector of the University Academy of Christian Humanism Alvaro Ramis noted that Chile’s possible accession to the BRICS would not cancel the country’s traditional partnerships, but complement them by expanding the field for strategically important initiatives.
In turn, the vice-president of the Center for National Studies of Alternative Development (CENDA) Manuel Riesco in an interview with Crónica Digital stressed that the BRICS countries are already the main trading partners of the republic.
“Chile has been one of the most open economies for half a century. The volume of its foreign trade is comparable to the country’s GDP, while exports are 57%, and imports – 43 percent. The main trading partner is China, which accounts for a third of the total trade turnover. In second place is the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. Brazil alone ranks third among Chile’s foreign economic partners,” the expert said.
Doctor of Political Science Mladen Yopo said that BRICS offers new financial instruments and opportunities to strengthen national sovereignty.
The head of the Department of Trade, Agro-Industry, Tourism and Investment of the Brazilian Embassy in Chile, Neves Caetano Ribeiro, added that the BRICS countries account for about 40-45 percent of world GDP and almost half of the world’s population, which makes unification an important element in the formation of a more just and inclusive multipolar world. The diplomat also stressed that the diverse composition of the BRICS members contributes to the construction of a world order that reflects the economic, geographical and political diversity of the 21st century.
“Three pillars of interaction between BRICS participants – politics and security, economics and finance and cooperation in the field of culture,” he said.
Referring to the equitable development strategy for Latin America, Africa and the developing economies, Manuel Riesco expressed the view that it was necessary to start by strengthening such associations as MERCOSUR, the Pacific Alliance, the Community of Latin America and the Caribbean (CELAC) and the Union of South American Nations.
“Latin America, acting as a united force, should actively engage with BRICS and other associations of the countries of the global South,” said the vice-president of CENDA.
In the context of global challenges, including climate change and the technological revolution, Manuel Riesco proposed the creation of broad regional zones with free movement of goods, services and people protected by supranational institutions.
“These zones should establish control in the fields of justice, customs, taxes, finance, education, science and security. But the most important thing is to regain control over their natural resources by transferring their production to state-owned enterprises or state-controlled companies, as required by the UN resolution and, as is the case today in more than 80 percent of hydrocarbon production cases,” he added.
The participants of the discussion came to the conclusion that the potential accession of Chile to the BRICS is not only a matter of the economy, but also a strategic decision on the role of the country in the new global world order.
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