The political and economic crisis in Venezuela was the center of the political debate among the heads of state that, this Wednesday, met in Santa Fe, Argentina in the Mercosur semi-annual summit, a block from which the Caribbean country is currently suspended. Neither Uruguay, Bolivia nor Chile addressed a word regarding the Venezuelan situation.
Chilean President Sebastian Piñera kicked off an investment forum in Beijing this week with an invitation for China to use Chile as a jumping off point to do business in Latin America, even as Washington has warned Chile to proceed with caution.
China and Chile should connect their development strategies and promote interconnectivity between Chile and other Latin American countries, President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday.
The Chilean government has announced that it will begin proceedings to withdraw from the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), the regional bloc from which it suspended its membership last year.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said his country “does not owe the world anything” when it comes to the environment. The far-right leader, who is critical of the Paris climate change accord, was speaking in Chile following Friday’s launch of the Forum for the Progress of South America (PROSUR), a conservative-minded group of South American leaders.
Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay re-launched their bid to host the 2030 World Cup following a meeting of their presidents in Buenos Aires on Wednesday. The four national presidents committed to creating a local organizing committee with a representative from each country to coordinate with CONMEBOL, South American football's governing body.
Uruguayan President Tabaré Vázquez questioned on Thursday the Colombian-Chilean initiative to create a new integration bloc to replace the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) and argued that the region has a number of integration processes that collide and they become inefficient.
The president of the National Assembly (AN) and recognized Venezuela’s interim president for half a hundred countries, Juan Guaidó, arrived this Friday by surprise to the Colombian city of Cúcuta, where the concert “Venezuela Aid Live” was held, organized by the British billionaire Richard Branson. Guaidó said that he crossed the border to the Colombian side thanks to the support of the Armed Forces of his country despite the prohibition to leave the country that the administration of Nicolás Maduro imposed on him.
Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay are to submit a joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup, Chile's President Sebastian Piñera announced on Thursday. Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay had already submitted a joint bid to host the centenary edition of football's most prestigious tournament, but Piñera said on Twitter that those countries' presidents had agreed to Chile's participation in the joint candidacy.
Colombian President Ivan Duque said he is talking with like-minded conservative leaders to create a regional bloc that would replace the Venezuelan-influenced Union of South American Nations, Unasur.