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Chilean ambassador praises trade links with China

Xinhua, February 27, 2016 Adjust font size:

Chile's ambassador to China Jorge Heine said trade relations "could not be better" upon the 10th anniversary of the Free Trade Agreement between the two countries, reported local media.

The ambassador said Chilean exported 16.671 billion U.S. dollars worth of goods to China in 2015, doubling the value of exports to its No.2 trading partner, the United States.

"With China, we have a favorable trade balance, while with the U.S. it is negative," the ambassador told local newspaper Diario Financiero earlier this week.

"Chilean agriculture grew by 6 percent in 2015, largely due to Chinese demand," said the ambassador.

"China is and will continue to be our main trade partner for a long time. The challenge is to diversify and add value to our shipments," he said.

In reference to new trade opportunities between Chile and China, the ambassador said "Chile has always been a mining country and it will remain so."

Heine said Chile needs to add more value to its mining exports, something that is already in the pipeline.

Heine added that "the largest potential is in services rather than goods. Tourism, education, transport and banking are all areas that need to be developed." Endi