Violence forces Chile to suspend the climate summit and in which the US and China were to sign the commercial truce

President Sebastián Piñera announced Wednesday that Chile will not organize the APEC leaders summit or the COP25 climate summit due to the protests and demonstrations that have been registered in the country for thirteen days.

"Our Government, with deep pain because this is a pain for Chile, has resolved not to hold the APEC summit that was scheduled for November and neither does COP25, which was scheduled for December," Piñera said in a public statement

The leaders summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC) was scheduled for November 16 and 17, while the COP25 climate change conference was scheduled to take place from December 2 to 13.

The president explained that he made this "difficult" decision to focus the efforts of the Government to fully restore public order in the country and boost the social agenda he has proposed to try to decompress tension in the streets.

"We are deeply sorry and sorry for the problems and inconveniences that this decision will mean for both APEC and the COP, but as president of all Chileans I always have to put the problems and interests of Chileans, their needs, desires and hopes, first in line, "he said.

Chile has been experiencing a social outbreak for almost two weeks, with massive demonstrations and some violent protests that have left about twenty people dead, hundreds injured and detained.

Piñera expressed Chile's "total and absolute" commitment to APEC, a forum of 21 countries in the Pacific basin to which 73% of Chilean exports are destined.

"It is not a forum that only interests leaders, it is a forum that interests all Chileans, more than 40,000 Chilean companies participate in foreign trade and generate more than 2.8 million jobs that are necessary for Chilean families" he emphasized.

The APEC summit that was to be held in the Chilean capital was the scenario chosen by US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, to sign the first phase of the trade pact between those two powers.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

• Chile
• China
• Sebastian Piñera