Chinese premier Li Keqiang urges stronger trade ties with Chile

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang addresses the opening of an economicand trade seminar marking the 45th anniversary of the establishment ofChina-Chile diplomatic relations and the seventh meeting of the China-ChileBusiness Council in Santiago, capital of Chile, May 26, 2015. (Xinhua/Ding Lin)

SANTIAGO, May 27 -- Chinese PremierLi Keqiangsaid here Tuesday that China is willing to expand bilateral tradewith Chile, unlock the free-trade dividends and continue to upgrade theChina-Chile free trade area.

Li made the remarks at the opening ofan economic and trade seminar marking the 45th anniversary of the establishmentof China-Chile diplomatic relations and the seventh meeting of the China-ChileBusiness Council.

Noting that this year marks the 45thanniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties and the 10th anniversary ofthe birth of the free trade area between the two countries, Li said China andChile enjoy traditional friendship and China's relationship with Chile is amongthe best between China and Latin American countries.

Li said he hoped the two sides wouldconsolidate mutual trust, deepen cooperation and take infrastructureconstruction as a foothold in strengthening production capacity cooperation,namely industrial and investment cooperation.

The two countries should promotecooperation in equipment manufacturing, focus on development of the realeconomy, jointly respond to the downward pressure of economy and promote worldeconomic recovery, he said.

Li pointed out that the China-Chile FreeTrade Agreement is between the world's largest developing country and a memberof the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which means thatthe two economies are highly complementary, each with its own advantages.

"We should hold high the bannerof free trade and resolutely oppose protectionism," said the Chinesepremier.

China is committed to maintaining thecurrent reasonable and effective mechanisms and rules of internationaleconomics and trade, and is willing to constructively participate in andpromote related reforms in order to improve the multilateral trading system andpromote liberalization and facilitation of bilateral and regional trade, saidLi.

Li stressed that China is willing toparticipate in Chile's infrastructure construction in different ways such asofficial and non-official cooperation, franchising and turnkey projects.

During Li's visit, the two countriessigned a currency swap agreement and an agreement for China to set up arenminbi clearing bank in Santiago, the first in Latin America. The premiersaid the two countries should seize the opportunity to strengthen financialcooperation and build a financial service platform to provide strong support toproduction capacity cooperation between China and Latin America.

Entrepreneurs from China and Chileshould seize the opportunities to work together for bilateral economiccooperation and exchanges and make greater contributions to the economicdevelopment in China, Latin America and the world, said the Chinese premier.

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet,who was with Li at the function, said that Chile-China relations have beenconstantly developing with increasingly closer exchanges and cooperation in thepast 45 years.

She said her country is willing towork with China to upgrade the bilateral free trade agreement and take fulladvantage of the agreement on the avoidance of double taxation.

She called on the two countries toexpand mutual investment and strengthen cooperation in infrastructureconstruction, energy and other areas, deepen cultural exchanges, expandfinancial cooperation and promote the internationalization of RMB in LatinAmerica, so as to jointly lift the bilateral relations to a new height.