Santiago: Chilean President Sebastián Piñera said Wednesday that he is cancelling two major international summits so he can respond to protracted nationwide protests over economic inequality that have left more than a dozen people dead, hundreds injured and businesses and infrastructure damaged.
The decision to call off the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and UN global climate gatherings, planned for November and December, respectively, dealt a major blow to Chile’s image as a regional oasis of stability and economic development.
Piñera said he was forced to cancel both events due to the chaos unleashed by 13 days of protests. Demonstrators are demanding greater economic equality and better public services in a country long seen as an economic success story.
Shops have been vandalised and buildings set on fire, shutting down numerous subway stations.
“This has been a very difficult decision that causes us great pain,” Piñera said in a televised address.
“A president always has to put the needs of his countrymen first,” Piñera added.
Trade and climate negotiators scrambled to find new locations for their summits, aimed at resolving tariff-related conflicts between China and the US and finalising countries’ climate rules in advance of a bigger summit next year during which governments will be asked to commit to new emissions limits. (PTI)
