The International Economic Relations Undersecretary’s Office (SUBREI), ProChile and InvestChile led a business and investment meeting this Thursday with a high-level delegation from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), headed by the country’s Minister of Foreign Trade, Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi. The meeting was aimed at strengthening bilateral economic ties and identifying new opportunities for collaboration between both markets.
The event, titled “Chile–UAE Business & Investment Roundtable”, brought together 22 senior executives and investors from strategic sectors in the UAE, including infrastructure, ports, energy, technology, banking, investments and agribusiness. It connected them with representatives of Chilean business and trade associations linked to priority areas for the economic relationship between the two countries.
Among the public-private representatives were the National Agriculture Society (SNA), the Agro-Food Export Council, the National Mining Society (SONAMI), the Association of Mining Industrial Suppliers (APRIMIN), the Chilean Association of Information Technology Companies (ACTI), FinteChile, ChileTech, the Chilean Association of Renewable Energy and Storage (ACERA) and the Public Works Ministry’s General Concessions Department, who presented concrete opportunities for collaboration, investment and the development of joint projects.
“Trade policy is not built solely through agreements, but also by creating meeting spaces for those who can transform these tools into new business and investment opportunities. That is precisely the value of events like this, which strengthen the economic relationship between Chile and the United Arab Emirates,” stated Felipe Lopeandía, director general of Bilateral Economic Affairs at SUBREI.
The meeting was a chance to highlight Chile’s competitive advantages as a platform for international business development, emphasizing its institutional stability, extensive network of trade agreements and the potential of strategic sectors for bilateral cooperation.
“We see a strong convergence between the objectives of the United Arab Emirates and the capabilities that Chile can offer. For us, the Emirates is not just a market, but a strategic platform for projecting goods, services and solutions towards the Middle
East and Africa. In addition to the growing presence of our food products, we are seeing significant dynamism in the export of services and innovation, sectors where Chilean companies are demonstrating increasingly greater reach and competitiveness at the international level,” said Ignacio Fernández, chief executive officer of ProChile.
Juan Pablo Candia, acting director of InvestChile, commented, “the United Arab Emirates has established itself as one of the most important stakeholders in global investment, and we are seeing a growing interest in exploring the Chilean market. This visit allows representatives of important funds and companies from the country to learn firsthand about the opportunities that Chile offers, hear directly from the government about its commitment to accelerating investment projects and get to know our business environment. Our country has exceptional conditions to become a strategic partner for the expansion of Emirati investments in Latin America.”
The official visit of the UAE’s Minister of Foreign Trade also included meetings with various Chilean stakeholders, including the Federation of Chilean Industry (SOFOFA) and other government ministries, reflecting the country’s growing interest in deepening its presence in Latin America and expanding its ties with Chile.
According to figures from SUBREI, bilateral trade between Chile and the United Arab Emirates reached US$ 320 million in 2025, with an average annual growth of 2.3%.
