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3/1/2024

Remarks by Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen at Roundtable with the American Chamber of Commerce in Santi…

Remarks by Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen at
Roundtable with the American Chamber of Commerce in
Santiago, Chile
March 1, 2024

As Prepared for Delivery
Good morning and thank you to the American Chamber of Commerce for hosting me here
today. Iʼm delighted to be in Santiago.
Chile is a key ally and partner in the Western Hemisphere, and our economies have long been
deeply intertwined.
Goods and services trade between the U.S. and Chile has quintupled since the implementation
of our bilateral Free Trade Agreement 20 years ago, reaching almost $50 billion in 2022.
Last December, a comprehensive bilateral tax treaty entered into force. I know that some of
you here played an important role in advocating for its passage.
Since the start of the Biden Administration, weʼve worked to further strengthen ties, to
support American workers and firms, and to create opportunities for Chile.
Our e orts have focused on building green and resilient supply chains and advancing our
climate agendas.
But realizing the opportunities available to us is by no means a given. The private sector needs
a strong investment and operating environment to function—from adequate infrastructure to
a trained workforce to regulatory stability.
The Biden Administration is pursuing wide-ranging e orts to support creating the right
enabling environments for private sector investment, in partnership with Chile.
https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy2151

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3/1/2024

Remarks by Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen at Roundtable with the American Chamber of Commerce in Santi…

Last November, President Boric and I participated in the Leadersʼ Summit of the Americas
Partnership for Economic Prosperity, or APEP.
At APEP, President Biden announced new initiatives that we are now implementing to
advance innovative nature-based solutions, and promote e orts to strengthen the regionʼs
supply chain integration in key sectors.
The Treasury Department is also working with our counterparts at the finance ministry and
with others across the Chilean government.
We are also pleased that the Inter-American Development Bank Board of Governors is poised
to approve a capital increase for IDBʼs private sector arm, IDB Invest, during the IDB Annual
Meetings in March.
This capital increase will provide IDB Invest with the capital it needs to deploy its innovative
new business model and support private sector development in Chile.
President Biden championed this capital increase during the Summit of the Americas, and we
are proud that it will soon become reality.
Today, I am pleased to be talking with private sector representatives from a range of sectors
of the Chilean economy, many of whom represent businesses with cross-border ties that have
directly experienced the significant advantages of free trade and integration.
Frequent and direct dialogues with the private sector are vital to understanding your needs,
and Iʼm looking forward to the discussion.
Iʼll stop here and open the floor for your comments. Thank you
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