Chile defense minister says US tariffs raise doubts over ties with Washington

Chile's Defense Minister Fernando Barros said on July 27 that new United States tariffs raise doubts about the reliability of Chile's relationship with Washington.

US President Donald Trump imposed tariffs of between 10 percent and 12.5 percent on 60 trading partners on July 24, citing the alleged use of forced labor in targeted countries.

Barros told Radio Infinita that the tariffs were "somewhat unfair." He said Chile and the United States were supposed to be friendly and close countries, and that the move "raises doubts about the closeness and reliability of the relationship between the two countries."

Chile's foreign ministry estimates that the tariffs affect 40 percent of Chilean exports, including salmon, grapes and wine. Exports of copper and lithium, minerals prized by the United States, were left untouched.

Barros insisted that Chile's labor standards are among the highest in the world and suggested they were above the American standard. Foreign Minister Francisco Perez Mackenna has said Chile intends to negotiate a way out of the tariffs.

The United States is Chile's second-largest trading partner after China. Chile and the United States have had a free trade agreement since 2004, and Chilean sales to the United States amounted to $18 billion last year, according to official figures cited in the source.