TOPIC

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Chile

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Chile. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Santiago

Head of State

President Gabriel Boric

Head of Government

President Gabriel Boric

Torres del Paine, in Chile, is known for its granite peaks and turquoise lakes. Photo: Shutterstock

Trip Inspiration

Why the Year of the Fire Horse calls for travel on horseback

Saddle up for some thrilling horse-related spectacles and experiences with our top picks from around the world.

13 Feb 2026 - 11:00AM

India

India’s trade blitz seeks to keep afloat a sinking global order

10 Feb 2026 - 8:54PM

Belt and Road Initiative

Trump wants China out of South America – but Peru’s Beijing-backed port is abuzz

6 Feb 2026 - 7:30AMvideocam

SCMP Highlights

China’s chip breakthrough, Tang Dynasty armour restored: 7 science highlights

From PLA developing quantum weapons to China’s dark matter breakthrough, here are some highlights from SCMP’s recent science reporting.

28 Jan 2026 - 3:37PM

A fibre integrated circuit is a novel electronic device that is as thin as a strand of human hair. Photo: Handout

Commodities

Gold surge has analysts eyeing new highs after US$5,100 record

Safe-haven demand spikes amid de-dollarisation fears and supply-chain tensions, as gold buyers seek stability against growing macro uncertainties.

26 Jan 2026 - 3:07PMvideocam

Environment

Opinion | How China can strengthen High Seas Treaty governance

Xiamen’s recognised coastal management approach underpins its bid to host the treaty secretariat.

23 Jan 2026 - 5:30AM

Americas and the Caribbean

Chile’s president-elect picks Pinochet lawyers as ministers of human rights, defence

Jose Antonio Kast installs a ‘great team for difficult times’, after being elected on a wave of anti-crime and anti-immigrant sentiment.

21 Jan 2026 - 2:45PM

Chile’s president-elect Jose Antonio Kast. Photo: AFP

Science

The West cheered China’s coal-fired export ban. Then came the massive blackouts

Did Beijing’s decision to stop financing overseas coal plants after pressure from US and Europe lead to mass – yet avoidable – power cuts?

21 Jan 2026 - 6:12AMvideocam

Diplomacy

China bids to host High Seas Treaty secretariat, even as US exits UN bodies

China puts forward Xiamen as potential future home of Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction secretariat as treaty comes into force.

19 Jan 2026 - 10:01PMvideocam

Science

China, Chile to explore Atacama Trench with ‘tools no other country possesses’

Three-month expedition will plumb uncharted depths of eastern Pacific in quest for new life forms and insights into quakes and tsunamis.

19 Jan 2026 - 3:33PMvideocam

The team will sail aboard the Chinese research vessel Tan Suo Yi Hao to cover 700km around the Atacama Trench, one of the deepest and least explored regions of the eastern Pacific. Photo: Handout

Natural disasters

Chile declares catastrophe as wildfires rage and kill at least 18

President Boric deploys the military to hard-hit regions as fast-moving blazes devour hundreds of homes.

19 Jan 2026 - 7:34PM

Police recover bodies after wildfires swept through homes near Lirquen, Chile. Photo: AP

Science

Chinese firm Sinovac to supply vaccine to Chile ahead of flu season

Chilean government procures doses of the jab from China for a second year in a row, with nationwide immunisation campaign to begin in March.

14 Jan 2026 - 3:18AMvideocam

US-Venezuela conflict

Chinese business owner in Venezuela warns of spillover after Maduro’s abduction

Chinese entrepreneurs have returned to South American nation in recent years, but some fear consequences after Washington’s intervention.

6 Jan 2026 - 10:50PMvideocam

US-Venezuela conflict

Not just oil: is Trump’s Venezuela takeover also about critical minerals?

Venezuela, Greenland and Colombia all have large deposits of rare earths and other minerals needed by US technology and defence companies.

6 Jan 2026 - 6:15PMvideocam

US President Donald Trump, flanked by senior members of his administration, speaks to the press following American military strikes on Caracas, Venezuela. Photo: TNS

United States

Explainer | US interventions in Latin America: a history of coups and conflicts

From the Bay of Pigs to Operation Condor to Venezuela in 2026: A look at the legacy of CIA-backed coups and US military action in Latin America.

3 Jan 2026 - 11:16PM

Members of Cuban Assault Brigade 2506 after their capture at the Bay of Pigs, Cuba, April 1961. Photo: AFP

Tourism

Expedition to Chile’s Cape Horn reveals awesome nature at the world’s end

A 5-day cruise to South America’s southern tip stuns with fiords, penguins and wind-blasted cliffs reached via the world’s deadliest waters.

30 Dec 2025 - 7:15AM

Electric & new energy vehicles

Chilean firms partner to form giant company to exploit lithium

Last month China approved the planned partnership between state-owned Codelco and private firm SQM, which features Chinese capital.

28 Dec 2025 - 5:17AM

SCMP Highlights

PLA division’s new leaders, lessons from 2025 trade war: SCMP daily highlights

From the newcomers in charge of PLA’s Eastern Theatre Command to retailers’ retreat from China, here’s a round-up from today’s coverage.

17 Dec 2025 - 9:15PM

Air Force Lieutenant General Yang Zhibin, pictured in uniform, is shown at the annual commemoration of the Nanking massacre on Saturday. Photo: CCTV

China-Latin America relations

China seeks greater influence in US backyard

The US is trying to shut China out of Latin America, even as the Asian nation outlines plans to further grow trade and investment in the resource-rich region.

17 Dec 2025 - 5:00PM

China-Latin America relations

Chile’s sharp shift to the right puts it at the centre of China-US rivalry

Election of Jose Antonio Kast in Latin American country adds to Donald Trump’s vocal allies but analysts expect China ties to stay stable.

17 Dec 2025 - 6:06AMvideocam

Banking & finance

Hong Kong signs tax treaty with Norway, marking fourth such agreement this year

Treasury chief Christopher Hui said the government plans to begin CDTA negotiations with Slovenia and Oman early next year.

16 Dec 2025 - 6:47PM

Hong Kong Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Christopher Hui (left), exchanges documents with Norway’s Ambassador to China, Vebjørn Dysvik, in Beijing on Tuesday. Photo: Handout

Hong Kong economy

Opinion | Hong Kong is stepping up its competitiveness in aviation

By funding upgrades to the airport and signing international aviation deals, the city is proactively working to expand its global reach.

16 Dec 2025 - 6:45AM

A Cathay Pacific jet takes off from Hong Kong International Airport in Chek Lap Kok on November 28, 2024, the day the third runway was inaugurated. Photo: Dickson Lee

Americas and the Caribbean

Chile takes hard-right turn as Kast scores landslide election victory

Jose Antonio Kast declares Chile ‘wanted change’ as the South American nation chooses its most right-wing president in decades.

15 Dec 2025 - 3:33PM

Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong signs aviation deals with 7 countries to expand global reach

Transport chief Mable Chan says deals reached with mostly Latin American nations, while Airport Authority CEO calls for more investment to manage risks.

9 Dec 2025 - 8:06PM

China-Latin America relations

Trump’s national security blueprint aims to combat China’s rise in Latin America

Framework pledges to stop competitors from threatening the stability and political alignment of neighbouring countries in the region.

6 Dec 2025 - 7:37AMvideocam

US President Donald Trump unveiled a new national security blueprint on Friday, prioritising US dominance in the Western Hemisphere. Photo: EPA

Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Fact-Check | Firefighters in Hong Kong? This video was shot in Chile in 2024

An old video is being misrepresented online as Hong Kong authorities battling deadly blaze in Tai Po.

1 Dec 2025 - 4:15PM

Screenshot of the misleading Facebook reel with lines drawn through by the Post. Photo: Facebook/SCMP Composite

Hong Kong economy

Editorial | ‘Partner port’ ties will help Hong Kong navigate global trade volatility

New deals with mainland Chinese and Chilean ports will enhance the city’s status as an international hub for finance, shipping and trading.

1 Dec 2025 - 7:15AM

Americas and the Caribbean

Venezuela airspace should be considered ‘closed in its entirety’, Trump says

The South American nation slammed the US president’s ‘colonialist threat’, and said his comments were incompatible with international law.

30 Nov 2025 - 1:57PM

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Chile

Why the Year of the Fire Horse calls for travel on horseback

Saddle up for some thrilling horse-related spectacles and experiences with our top picks from around the world.

India’s trade blitz seeks to keep afloat a sinking global order

Trump wants China out of South America – but Peru’s Beijing-backed port is abuzz

China’s chip breakthrough, Tang Dynasty armour restored: 7 science highlights

From PLA developing quantum weapons to China’s dark matter breakthrough, here are some highlights from SCMP’s recent science reporting.

Gold surge has analysts eyeing new highs after US$5,100 record

Safe-haven demand spikes amid de-dollarisation fears and supply-chain tensions, as gold buyers seek stability against growing macro uncertainties.

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}Opinion | How China can strengthen High Seas Treaty governance

Xiamen’s recognised coastal management approach underpins its bid to host the treaty secretariat.

Chile’s president-elect picks Pinochet lawyers as ministers of human rights, defence

Jose Antonio Kast installs a ‘great team for difficult times’, after being elected on a wave of anti-crime and anti-immigrant sentiment.

The West cheered China’s coal-fired export ban. Then came the massive blackouts

Did Beijing’s decision to stop financing overseas coal plants after pressure from US and Europe lead to mass – yet avoidable – power cuts?

China bids to host High Seas Treaty secretariat, even as US exits UN bodies

China puts forward Xiamen as potential future home of Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction secretariat as treaty comes into force.

China, Chile to explore Atacama Trench with ‘tools no other country possesses’

Three-month expedition will plumb uncharted depths of eastern Pacific in quest for new life forms and insights into quakes and tsunamis.

Chile declares catastrophe as wildfires rage and kill at least 18

President Boric deploys the military to hard-hit regions as fast-moving blazes devour hundreds of homes.

Chinese firm Sinovac to supply vaccine to Chile ahead of flu season

Chilean government procures doses of the jab from China for a second year in a row, with nationwide immunisation campaign to begin in March.

Chinese business owner in Venezuela warns of spillover after Maduro’s abduction

Chinese entrepreneurs have returned to South American nation in recent years, but some fear consequences after Washington’s intervention.

Not just oil: is Trump’s Venezuela takeover also about critical minerals?

Venezuela, Greenland and Colombia all have large deposits of rare earths and other minerals needed by US technology and defence companies.

.css-sioo19{color:#c79a00;}Explainer | US interventions in Latin America: a history of coups and conflicts

From the Bay of Pigs to Operation Condor to Venezuela in 2026: A look at the legacy of CIA-backed coups and US military action in Latin America.

Expedition to Chile’s Cape Horn reveals awesome nature at the world’s end

A 5-day cruise to South America’s southern tip stuns with fiords, penguins and wind-blasted cliffs reached via the world’s deadliest waters.

Chilean firms partner to form giant company to exploit lithium

Last month China approved the planned partnership between state-owned Codelco and private firm SQM, which features Chinese capital.

PLA division’s new leaders, lessons from 2025 trade war: SCMP daily highlights

From the newcomers in charge of PLA’s Eastern Theatre Command to retailers’ retreat from China, here’s a round-up from today’s coverage.

China seeks greater influence in US backyard

The US is trying to shut China out of Latin America, even as the Asian nation outlines plans to further grow trade and investment in the resource-rich region.

Chile’s sharp shift to the right puts it at the centre of China-US rivalry

Election of Jose Antonio Kast in Latin American country adds to Donald Trump’s vocal allies but analysts expect China ties to stay stable.

Hong Kong signs tax treaty with Norway, marking fourth such agreement this year

Treasury chief Christopher Hui said the government plans to begin CDTA negotiations with Slovenia and Oman early next year.

Opinion | Hong Kong is stepping up its competitiveness in aviation

By funding upgrades to the airport and signing international aviation deals, the city is proactively working to expand its global reach.

Chile takes hard-right turn as Kast scores landslide election victory

Jose Antonio Kast declares Chile ‘wanted change’ as the South American nation chooses its most right-wing president in decades.

Hong Kong signs aviation deals with 7 countries to expand global reach

Transport chief Mable Chan says deals reached with mostly Latin American nations, while Airport Authority CEO calls for more investment to manage risks.

Trump’s national security blueprint aims to combat China’s rise in Latin America

Framework pledges to stop competitors from threatening the stability and political alignment of neighbouring countries in the region.

Fact-Check | Firefighters in Hong Kong? This video was shot in Chile in 2024

An old video is being misrepresented online as Hong Kong authorities battling deadly blaze in Tai Po.

Editorial | ‘Partner port’ ties will help Hong Kong navigate global trade volatility

New deals with mainland Chinese and Chilean ports will enhance the city’s status as an international hub for finance, shipping and trading.

Venezuela airspace should be considered ‘closed in its entirety’, Trump says

The South American nation slammed the US president’s ‘colonialist threat’, and said his comments were incompatible with international law.

Opinion | How China can strengthen High Seas Treaty governance

Explainer | US interventions in Latin America: a history of coups and conflicts