Chile Chamber of Deputies Approves Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement between Chile and the United Arab Emirates
The Undersecretary for International Economic Relations (SUBREI), Claudia Sanhueza, highlighted that this agreement was signed during the official visit of President Gabriel Boric to the United Arab Emirates in July 2024, marking a tangible milestone aligned with Chile’s trade policy goal of diversifying trade and investment.
Valparaíso, July 14, 2025. The Chamber of Deputies approved the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between Chile and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). With this, the bill—which had already been approved by the Committees on Foreign Affairs and Finance—now advances to its second legislative stage in the Senate.
The Undersecretary for International Economic Relations (SUBREI), Claudia Sanhueza, emphasized that this agreement was signed during the official visit of President Gabriel Boric to the UAE in July 2024, representing a tangible milestone that responds to Chile’s trade policy objective of diversifying trade and investment.
“We aim to foster greater economic integration and boost bilateral trade by ensuring broad access for our goods and services within a clear and modern regulatory framework. Furthermore, we seek to deepen this relationship to promote diversification of investment sources in Chile,” she added.
In terms of trade in goods, the agreement establishes preferential tariffs and market access rules, promoting transparency, non-discriminatory treatment, and the elimination of unnecessary barriers. Under the agreement, the UAE will eliminate tariffs on 97% of Chilean products upon entry into force, with another 1% phased out by the third year. Chile, in turn, granted zero tariffs on 99% of imports from the UAE, with a gradual elimination for an additional 0.5%.
The agreement also includes chapters on: sanitary and phytosanitary measures, technical barriers to trade, global value chains, government procurement, investment promotion, trade in services, digital trade, intellectual property, economic cooperation, trade and women’s economic empowerment, and small and medium-sized enterprises.
In 2024, trade between Chile and the UAE reached US$232.4 million, reflecting an average annual decrease of 1.4% between 2019 and 2024.
Background of the negotiations
Talks between Chile and the UAE began in 2022 with technical exchanges to assess the feasibility of a bilateral agreement. Formal negotiations then took place between 2023 and 2024 across four rounds held in virtual and in-person formats, concluding in Santiago between April 22 and 24, 2024.
The UAE was the first country from the Gulf Cooperation Council to begin a trade integration process with Chile. In addition to this Agreement, the two nations already have an agreement to avoid double taxation, in force since July 2022, and a customs cooperation agreement effective since September 2024.
