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

New Delhi: 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