Chilean President hopes Trump will 'respect' Latin America

Just hours before Trump takes the oath of office as the 45th US president, Bachelet told AFP that the region "is waiting to see what decisions he will take and what campaign promises" he will actually fulfill.

Regional leaders have seen no definite proposals regarding Trump's policies towards Latin America, she said.

"We hope that a relationship of respect and cooperation between Latin America and the United States may continue," Bachelet said.

"Everyone here is waiting to know what the proposals are going to be, and what importance president Trump gives to the region."

Chile, which has a free trade agreement with the United States, "has historically had good relations with the United States... and we hope this relationship continues," Bachelet added.

The Chilean leader also said there are still high expectations for the future of the Trans-Pacific Trade Agreement (TPP), which Chile and several other Pacific countries have signed and Trump has vowed to reject.

"Everyone is very expectant, but the rest of the countries want to go ahead or transform it into another type of agreement," Bachelet said.

On the campaign trail, Trump slammed the TPP as "a continuing rape of our country" and "a potential disaster" for the United States, vowing to negotiate "fair" bilateral agreements.