IT is a little known fact that dip-lomatic relations between Chile and the Philippines began way back in 1854 when Chile opened a consulate in Binondo, Manila. That long standing link is the oldest diplomatic representation between a member of the Association of South-East Asian Nations and a country from outside the Asean region.
So the two-day visit (starting tomorrow, October 17) of Chilean Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Fernando A. Schmidt to the Philippines (an Asian tour that also takes in China and Australia) has special significance as he attends the upcoming fourth round of Bilateral Political Consultations between the Philippines and Chile, as well as a sectorial meeting with local public-private stockholders in energy, mining, internal revenues, and cultural matters.