CIIE boosting China-Chile cooperation

The thriving China-Chilean economic and trade cooperation will be further bolstered by the upcoming China International Import Expo, officials and company executives of the two countries said at a Chile Week seminar in Beijing on Nov 1.

Chile Week aims to project the participation of Chile in the Belt and Road Initiative in the technological and financial fields, and seeks to attract innovative investments in these areas. This year's Chile Week was scheduled in November, instead of previous years' August or September, to coincide with the expo, to be held in Shanghai starting Nov 5.

Wang Shouwen, vice-minister of commerce of China, regarded the China-Chile relationship as a good example of cooperation on the basis of equality and mutual benefit. Chile was the first Latin American country to sign a free trade agreement with China, and the bilateral trade volume between the two countries reached $35.4 billion last year, four times its size than when the agreement was signed.

As China's third-largest trading partner in Latin America, Chile's food and beverages such as blueberries and wine are welcomed happily in China. Chile is the second largest fruit exporter to China, and the third largest wine exporter to China, the minister said.

The two countries upgraded their free trade agreement on Nov 11 last year, which will go into effect on Jan 1, 2019. According to the minister, the two countries will enhance operations under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, and conduct cooperation in multiple fields such as agriculture, infrastructure and tourism.

The China International Import Expo, the first of its kind in China, will provide further opportunities for overseas commodities and services, the minister added.