Sat, January 17, 2009
SANTIAGO, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Chile is steadfastly committed to improving relations with China, Minister Secretary General of the Chilean Presidency, Jose Antonio Viera-Gallo, told Xinhua on Friday.
Chile's Asian policies have always been designed to give top priority to its relations with China, he added.
China-Chile trade volume exceeded 10 billion U.S. dollars in 2008, thanks to the free trade pact between the two nations, which came into effect in 2006, Viera-Gallo said.
The Chilean government hopes China would play a "key role" in combating the ongoing global financial crisis as well as in rebuilding the international financial order, Viera-Gallo said.
Though China is not immune to the economic downturn, the country is still seeing continuous economic growth, he added.
He expressed hopes to see even stronger demand from China for international raw materials including copper and said he wished the country's overseas investments would keep a strong momentum.
