Chile is very satisfied with its current trade relationship with China, which has grown to be Chile's foremost trading partner over the past 20 years, a senior Chilean trade official told Xinhua in an interview on Tuesday.
With their bilateral trade surpassing 34 billion U.S. dollars in 2014, China has become Chile's No.1 trade partner while Chile ranks China's third largest trade partner in Latin America, said Rafael Sabat, deputy director of ProChile, Chile's export promotion arm.
Chilean products now have reached 82 different overseas markets, with 28 percent of its exports going to Asian markets, mostly to China, Sabat said.
"Chile used to only be known for its copper, which now only accounts for around half of our foreign trade," Sabat said. "Chilean foodstuff exports reached 16 billion dollars in 2014, placing the country among the top 15 exporters of food products in the world."
"Chilean exports to China have become fundamental, especially in terms of foodstuffs," stressed Sabat, who will join a Chilean delegation to attend the "Week of Chile in China" scheduled for Aug. 23-28 in Beijing and Shanghai to mark the 45th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Chile diplomatic ties, and the 10th anniversary of the signing of the China-Chile free trade agreement in 2005.
The delegation will be led by former Chilean President Eduardo Frei, accompanied by a number of ministers, business leaders and artists who will participate in various programs and activities in China.
With the steady growth of Chile-China ties, ProChile is also strengthening its own "charm offensive" in China and has opened four offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong, Sabat said.
Such successes achieved by Chile with China and other partners did not happen overnight. "This has been a slow process requiring much effort over the last 30 years," he said.
