CRI听力:Premier Li's Upcoming Visit to Boost China-Chile Strategic Ties

Former president of Chile Eduardo Frey says there's a huge demand for the two countries to upgrade bilateral trade, and he hopes premier Li's visit can take economic ties to the next level.

"China and Chile should expand trade cooperation and seek more common ground. Those previously-reached agreements have been unable to fully serve the development of the bilateral ties. The two countries have signed FTA and mutual investment agreements and I expect, during Premier Li's visit, the two sides will reach an agreement to avoid double taxation, which will greatly boost mutual investment between enterprises from both countries."

Chile was the first South American country to establish diplomatic ties with China and the first in the region to sign a free trade agreement (FTA) with China.

Under the FTA, imports and exports between the countries will be exempted from tariffs by the end of this year.

Liu Rutao is the economic and trade counselor of the Chinese embassy in Chile.

"Usually, the period of tax reduction after the signing of a FTA is 8 to 10 years. Chile was the first to sign a FTA with China, So, by now, the China-Chile FTA is the only one that has got through to this stage. This year, more than 98 percent of imports and exports between China and Chile will enjoy zero tariffs."

Diego Torries, a senior official from Chile's foreign ministry, is responsible for the country's trade affairs in the Asia-Pacific region.

He hopes trade agreements to be signed on Li's visit can help the country to draw more investment from China.

"Boosting free trade between the two countries is one of Premier Li's goals. We want to learn more about China's interests and meanwhile, try to seek common interests between us so as to deepen our trade relationship. We also hope the new agreements to be signed soon will not only promote bilateral trade, but also help attract more Chinese enterprises and build Chile into a regional hub for Chinese investment."

The overall trade volume between the two countries reached over 34 billion U.S. dollars last year.

The FTA has diversified trade, with an increase in the number of Chinese automobiles entering the Chilean market.

Today, Chinese-made cars account for 17 percent of all cars in circulation, and that figure is on the rise.

Marsillio is a Chilean civil servant and says products made-in–China are very popular among the locals.

"Made-in-China products are used widely in Chile. They are of good quality. It indicates the high level of Chinese technologies and the high competitiveness of Chinese products. In particular, many Chinese auto brands have entered the Chilean market. As far as I know, Jianghuai and Shanghai vehicles sell very well here."

The Chilean official also hopes to see more benefits of the Sino-Chilean relationship spread to the ordinary people of his country.

For CRI, I'm Guo Yan.