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India, Chile Near Social Security Pact as CEPA Trade Talks Enter Final Stage

India and Chile are on the verge of finalizing a social security agreement to facilitate the movement of professionals and boost investments. The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) negotiations have entered their final stage, with recent rounds covering goods, services, investment, and critical minerals. Both nations aim to expand cooperation into new areas like digital infrastructure and green energy. This progress follows India's recent conclusion of a major free trade agreement with New Zealand.

Key Points: India-Chile Social Security Pact, CEPA Talks in Final Stage

  • Social security pact to ease cross-border work
  • CEPA negotiations in final stages
  • Talks cover trade, investment, critical minerals
  • Aim to diversify ties in digital & green energy
  • India recently concluded FTA with New Zealand
2 min read

India, Chile close to sealing social security pact as CEPA talks enter final stage

India and Chile close to sealing a social security agreement to ease professional mobility, as CEPA trade negotiations enter the final rounds.

"The CEPA... would play a pivotal role in boosting bilateral trade, deepening economic cooperation, enhancing market access - Indian Commerce Ministry"

New Delhi, Jan 10

India and Chile are close to finalising a social security agreement that is expected to make it easier for professionals to work across borders and encourage greater investments between the two countries, Chile's Ambassador to India Juan Angulo has said.

Formal CEPA negotiations between India and Chile began in May 2025, and several rounds have taken place since then.

The fourth round of talks concluded in December 2025, and intersessional discussions are currently underway to resolve pending matters ahead of the next round.

In December last year, the Commerce Ministry said that India and Chile reiterated their strong commitment to the timely conclusion of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) negotiations.

The ministry acknowledged the strategic significance of further strengthening bilateral economic ties.

"They underscored that the CEPA, once concluded, would play a pivotal role in boosting bilateral trade, deepening economic cooperation, enhancing market access and creating new opportunities for businesses in both countries," said the ministry.

This was the fourth round of negotiations for the India-Chile CEPA concluded on December 9.

The third round of India-Chile CEPA negotiations was held in Santiago, Chile, from October 27-30.

Discussions during the third round had covered a wide range of chapters including Trade in Goods and Services, Investment Promotion, Rules of Origin, Intellectual Property Rights, TBT/ SPS measures, Economic Cooperation and Critical Minerals.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that India requested Chile to consider long term agreements for supply of mineral resources.

During the meeting, the officials of two nations agreed to diversify bilateral ties in new and emerging areas of contemporary relevance such as Digital Public Infrastructure, innovation and green energy.

Last year, India also concluded free trade agreement (FTA) with New Zealand, which expected to offer New Zealanders unprecedented access to 1.4 billion Indian consumers.

This historic FTA eliminates and reduces tariffs on 95 per cent of New Zealand's exports -- among the highest of any Indian FTA -- with almost 57 per cent being duty-free from day one, increasing to 82 per cent when fully implemented, with the remaining 13 per cent subject to sharp tariff cuts.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
Critical minerals and green energy cooperation is the key takeaway for me. Chile has lithium, we have manufacturing and tech prowess. This partnership can really boost our EV and renewable energy sectors. Strategic move by the government.
R
Rohit P
Good step, but I hope our negotiators are being tough on protecting our farmers and MSMEs. The New Zealand FTA seems very generous on their exports. We need balanced agreements that truly benefit *our* industries, not just open our massive consumer market.
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Sarah B
Interesting to see Digital Public Infrastructure (like UPI, Aadhaar) being part of the talks. Exporting our digital stack could be a bigger win than traditional trade. Chile could be a gateway for Indian tech solutions into Latin America.
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Vikram M
More FTAs are welcome, but implementation is key. We sign many agreements, but ground-level barriers for small businesses often remain. Hope this one has clear dispute resolution and actual ease of doing business.
K
Kavya N
Chile has amazing wines and fruits! Looking forward to more affordable avocados and cherries in our markets soon. 😊 On a serious note, long-term mineral supply agreements are crucial for our manufacturing and energy security. Good progress.

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