Chilean president vows to boost cooperation with China for joint development

SANTIAGO, April 10 (Xinhua) -- Chile wishes the upcoming Beijing Olympic Games a great success and will seek to boost its cooperation with China, said Chilean President Michelle Bachelet Jeria in a recent interview with Xinhua.

Bachelet, who is scheduled to start her China tour Friday and will be the first female president in Latin America to visit the country, said she was glad to pay her visit in a year which coincides with the 30th anniversary of China's opening and reform approach.

Chile and China, though far apart geographically and varying greatly in territorial size, have enjoyed close ties and shared many identical views since the two countries forged diplomatic relations 37 years ago, she said.

Both countries have pursued their development through boosting domestic economy while aspiring to engage in world economic activities, and both have emphasized that fruits of economic growth should be shared by all people, said the president.

On China's endeavors to build a harmonious society, Bachelet said Chile is working for an inclusive society, adding that both countries take the creation of more development opportunities for their people as their common goals.

Bachelet described Chile-China relations as "very good" from both political and economic perspectives, noting that bilateral ties are characterized by mutual respect and close cooperation since the two countries established diplomatic relations.

She expressed her satisfaction with the development of bilateral trade, saying remarkable results have been yielded.

Bachelet, the first female president in Chile, said the past year and more witnessed the fastest growth of bilateral trade since the Chile-China free trade agreement took effect in October 2006.

The president noted that the agreement has served to narrow the distance between the two countries and inspired greater trade enthusiasm.

Trade volume between the two countries reached 14.673 billion U.S. dollars in 2007, a significant increase of 65 percent from 2006 and an amazing hike compared with the 2001 figure of 2.118 billion dollars, according to statistics provided by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce.

Chile's export to China in 2007 hit 10.257 billion dollars, a jump of 78.8 percent from 2006's figure, showed by figures from the ministry.

Noting that China has become Chile's No. 1 trade partner, Bachelet said Chile is fully aware that its development is closely linked with Asia, and with China in particular.

She said the two countries should further enhance their economic integration, look into the future and strive for new markets in third countries for joint development, rather than focusing only on bilateral trade balance.

She also suggested that the two countries boost cooperation in such fields as culture, education, environment and national defense.

In anticipation of her forthcoming China visit, Bachelet said she expects to finalize the related articles on service trade in the second phase of the free trade agreement.

The president expected the deal, whose second-phase term is still under discussion, to serve as a solid foundation for further growth of bilateral political, economic and trade ties.

For this end, she will ask the Chilean officials to accelerate the consultation, Bachelet said.

She also expressed her best wishes for the Beijing Olympics, saying the Chilean government will give its full support to Chilean athletes for top performance in the Games.

The president also expressed her firm belief that the Beijing Olympics will be a great success, and her regret for being unable to visit Beijing again and cheer the Chilean athletes in person amid her pressing duties.

Born on Sept. 29, 1951, Bachelet once visited China in May 2004 in her capacity as Chile's defense minister

Chile was the first South American country that established diplomatic ties with China.