[Overview] Santiago Metropolitan Region (hereinafter referred to as the metropolitan region) is the political, economic, cultural and transportation center of Chile. Located in the central part of the country with an average altitude of 556 meters, the metropolitan region covers an area of 15,400 square kilometers and has a population of about 6.68 million, accounting for 40 percent of the national population.

[Politics] The metropolitan region administers 52 communes in 6 provinces. Santiago, the national capital of Chile, is also the capital city of the region, though it has no administrative affiliation with the region. The metropolitan region has no parliament, but is governed by a regional council appointed by the central government. Founded in 1993, the council is responsible for promoting the balanced social and economic development in the region and coordinating the use of the regional development fund appropriated by the central government. The council consists of a governor who, without a fixed term, is directly appointed by the President of Chile, and councilors. The incumbent governor Felipe Guevara came into office in October 2019.

[Economy] The metropolitan region has such pillar industries as textile, clothing, foodstuff, wine-making, machinery and metallurgy. It boasts an advanced transportation network that consists of an international airport, five subway lines, and the Pan-American Highway running through it from north to south.

[Culture and Education] The metropolitan region is home to a number of universities, including the Catholic University of Chile and the University of Chile, both more than one century old.

[Relations with Beijing] Beijing and Santiago Metropolitan Region established the sister-city relationship on August 6, 2007. In 2009, they signed the framework agreement on exchange and cooperation, which covered a wide array of areas such as culture, tourism, education, transportation, health, infrastructure and sports.