Chilean Poll Favors… China

A recent poll by well-known Chilean polling agency Cadem has depicted a new potential direction of foreign economic and trade cooperation that might apply to more Latin American countries. The poll showed that over half of Chileans believe China should be Chile’s main trading partner, with 54 percent of respondents believing that priority should be given to developing economic and trade relations with both China and the United States. Among those who chose one core partner, China received 29-percent support, which was twice the 14-percent support for the United States.

This poll reflects the mutually beneficial nature of China-Chile cooperation. Compared with the geopolitical pressure from the U.S., the development opportunities brought by China are a choice that truly conforms to the interests of the Latin American people.

Since 2025, the second Donald Trump administration has, regarding the Americas as its traditional sphere of influence, expanded its control through military pressure, economic coercion and immigration control. This policy, known as the Donroe Doctrine, an adaption of the historical Monroe Doctrine, has particularly put pressure on Latin America. In particular, after the U.S. launched a military strike against Venezuela and captured the country’s President Nicolás Maduro in early January, the “chilling effect” generated by the Donroe Doctrine has spread throughout the region.

However, the result of this poll from Chile showed that Donroe-Doctrine-style coercion cannot influence the choices of Latin American people. The recent 12.5-percent tariff on some Chilean exports imposed by the U.S. has aroused strong dissatisfaction in Chile. The poll also showed that 87 percent of Chileans oppose the unilateral protectionist actions of the U.S., and more than half disapprove of their government’s way of handling diplomatic and economic relations with the U.S. The bullying behavior of the U.S. stands in stark contrast to China’s long-standing commitment to mutually beneficial, open and inclusive cooperation.

Today, China has become Chile’s largest trading partner, with over 30 percent of Chile’s exports sold to China. Chile’s competitive products such as copper, lithium, cherries and salmon continue to reach the Chinese market. Last year, bilateral trade between the two countries exceeded $65 billion. Chile’s favorable public opinion toward China is based on real economic and trade achievements and deeply connected interests.

The truth behind the result of the Cadem poll is the different ways in which China and the U.S. approach Chile.

U.S. cooperation with Chile, and even Latin America at large, has always been driven by a strong geopolitical hegemonic mindset, where economic cooperation is used as a tool to control the regional landscape and contain the development of other countries. Trade protectionism, unilateral sanctions, technology barriers and political coercion have become normal. Such a self-interested cooperation model not only hinders the development of other countries, but also undermines its own credibility.

Unlike the U.S. approach, China-Chile cooperation has always adhered to the principles of equality, mutual benefit and non-interference in each other’s internal affairs. China does not attach political conditions, form alliances or impose trade barriers. It has always respected Chile’s independent development path and helped Chile transform its resource advantages into development advantages. Especially in the global wave of new-energy transformation, cooperation between the two countries in areas such as power batteries, photovoltaic energy storage and green mining is highly compatible and has huge potential.

This poll from Chile is a reflection of public opinion in Latin America, as well as strong evidence of the changes in the global economic and trade landscape. Public opinion signals that while influence maintained by political pressure and bloc confrontation is fragile and short-lived, economic and trade cooperation based on market demand and long-term stability can be solid and enjoy popular support.