Protesters throw rocks at police during a protest in Santiago, Chile, Wednesday, 23 October 2019. Rioting, arson attacks and violent clashes wracked Chile as the government raised the death toll to 15 in an upheaval that has almost paralyzed the South American country long seen as the region’s oasis of stability. Photo: Rodrigo Abd / AP Photo
Protesters throw rocks at police during a protest in Santiago, Chile, Wednesday, 23 October 2019. Rioting, arson attacks and violent clashes wracked Chile as the government raised the death toll to 15 in an upheaval that has almost paralyzed the South American country long seen as the region’s oasis of stability. Photo: Rodrigo Abd / AP Photo

SANTIAGO (30 October 2019) – Chile’s embattled president has cancelled the Apec trade summit in November and the Cop 25 climate summit in December, as his government struggles with the largest wave of political unrest since the end of the Pinochet dictatorship.

Sebastián Piñera made the announcement on Wednesday after 12 days of massive demonstrations and in which millions have taken to the street in protest over economic inequality.

“This has been a very difficult decision, a decision that causes us a lot of pain, because we fully understand the importance of Apec and Cop 25 for Chile and for the world,” Piñera said in a brief statement from La Moneda palace in Santiago.

Members of security forces detain a demonstrator during an anti-government protest in Santiago, Chile. Photo: Edgard Garrido / REUTERS
Members of security forces detain a demonstrator during an anti-government protest in Santiago, Chile. Photo: Edgard Garrido / REUTERS

He said Chile was “deeply sorry for the problems and inconveniences that this decision will mean for both Apec and the Cop. But as president of all Chileans I always have to put the problems and interests of the Chileans, their needs, their desires and their hopes first.”

Piñera’s decision risks further disrupting the faltering international effort to address the climate crisis, with major emitting countries so far failing to enact sufficient measures to avoid dangerous levels of global heating.

The Chile climate talks were expected to focus on the rapidly deteriorating condition of the world’s oceans, as well as spur momentum going into a fresh round of national pledges on emissions cuts next year. [more]

Chilean president cancels Apec and climate summits amid wave of unrest