Xi, leaders hold talks at APEC

Editor's note: President Xi Jinping met on Saturday with leaders attending the 26th APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. The following are the highlights of the talks.

Chile

In a meeting with Chilean President Sebastian Pinera, President Xi Jinping said China and Chile should upgrade their free trade agreement to expand trade, optimize trade structure, deepen investment cooperation and press ahead on major interconnectivity projects.

Chile was the first South American country to establish diplomatic ties with China, and these bilateral ties have taken a lead among China-Latin American relations for a long time, Xi said, calling for both sides to lift the ties to new heights.

Xi congratulated Pinera on his second term as Chilean president, and he said the China-Chile comprehensive strategic partnership, under the guidance of the two heads of state, would open a new chapter, achieve new development and make more contributions to overall China-Latin America cooperation.

China and Chile have signed an intergovernmental agreement on the Belt and Road Initiative, and the next move in this regard is to define key areas and projects and strive for an early harvest, Xi said. He also stressed the role of bilateral cooperation mechanisms.

As the year of 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the China-Chile diplomatic relationship, Xi proposed holding a series of celebrations for the anniversary.

China is willing to step up cooperation with Chile in areas like technology and Antarctic affairs, Xi said.

China supports Chile hosting the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting next year, and will work jointly with Chile to push forward the construction of the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific, he added.

Pinera said the Chile-China relationship has a solid foundation and robust development, and the FTA upgrading provided a broader prospect for further cooperation.

China is Chile's largest trading partner and a major source of foreign investment.

Chile will work with China to enhance high-level exchanges, deepen cooperation in such areas as trade, investment, infrastructure, technology, and join hands to promote the Belt and Road construction, uphold free trade and build an open world economy, Pinera said.

Chile hopes to maintain communication and coordination with China and make next year's APEC meeting a success, he added.

Xinhua contributed to this story.