President Piñera calls for deeper integration of the Pacific Alliance: “This is more necessary now than ever”.
The President signed the Lima Declaration, which emphasized the defense of free trade and welcomed Ecuador as a new candidate for associate status. Chile took over the Pro Tempore Presidency of the bloc, which also includes Colombia, Mexico and Peru and constitutes the eighth largest economy in the world.
On Saturday, President Sebastián Piñera highlighted the need to continue to deepen and accelerate the integration of members of the Pacific Alliance, eliminating tariff barriers and standardizing regulations that allow for more trade among the four members.
“We want to do something very simple: make it as easy for micro and small businesses to sell their products in any one of the Alliance countries as it is for them to sell them within their own country. That is true integration,” said the President, after signing the Lima Declaration with Colombian President Iván Duque, Peruvian President Martín Vizcarra and Mexican Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard.
"The most important thing is for the Alliance to preserve the same spirit that brought it to life; the intent of not being trapped by words or bureaucracy, but acting instead with a sense of urgency that allows us to respond to the needs of our people and with a sense of opportunity in response to the changing world in which we live," he said at the close of the summit.
The President said that the alliance should move forward with joint efforts to protect the environment, fight corruption, coordinate migratory flows and address technological changes, e-commerce and artificial intelligence as tools for promoting the development of the region.
The leaders noted their commitment to continue to promote free trade and welcomed Ecuador as a new candidate for associate status. They also issued a call to conclude trade negotiations this year with Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Singapore, all of which are currently candidates for associate status.
The President also signed a declaration that highlights recognition of free trade as a key tool for promoting economic and sustainable development and encourages a commitment to strengthen, modernize and reform the World Trade Organization (WTO) as a fundamental pillar of an open and transparent multilateral system.
President Piñera and the other leaders also signed a commitment to Sustainable Plastics Management to prevent the negative impacts of plastics waste and implement new policies, strategies and programs for reducing their use in ecosystems, promoting recycling and moving towards a circular economy.
The Pacific Alliance is the eighth largest economy in the world, with a total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of US$2.08 billion and a population of 225 million.