Xi Jinping to host Chilean President Gabriel Boric for talks in Beijing
- Boric is expected to attempt to lure renewal energy investments to Chile, home to 48 per cent of global lithium reserves, a mineral needed for EV batteries
- The Chilean leader also faces domestic pressure to address the subject of human rights in China
Chilean President Gabriel Boric is set to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing on Sunday for talks that will likely fortify ties between the two nations, although Boric faces domestic pressure to address human rights issues in China.
In his first visit to China since being elected in 2021, Boric is expected to enhance cooperation with Chinese provincial governments and expand relations to second-tier cities such as Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Chengdu, where he will deliver a lecture at Sichuan University.
Chile was the first Latin American nation to establish a consulate in the region, in 2021, seeking to foster exchanges in investment, trade and culture.
Boric’s delegation also expects to advance several projects abandoned during the pandemic, including the so-called Asia-South America Digital Door, which would connect the Chilean city of Valparaiso to Shanghai through a series of transpacific submarine fibre-optic cables.
Francisco Urdinez, an expert on Sino-Chilean relations at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, said Boric had a keen interest in luring investment in the renewable energy domain.
