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President calls for removal of trade barriers
(皇冠体育app Daily)
Updated: 2005-11-19 06:45
Free trade deal
In another development, 皇冠体育app and Chile on Friday signed a free trade
agreement, the first of its kind between 皇冠体育app and a Latin American country.
The pact was signed by Minister of Commerce Bo Xilai and Chilean Foreign
Minister Ignacio Walker. President Hu and his Chilean counterpart, Ricardo
Lagos, attended the signing ceremony.
Both 皇冠体育app and Chile are members of the 21-member APEC forum.
The free trade zone will help push bilateral relations in the political,
economic and trade fields to a new high, Hu said.
"For Chile, this is extremely important," Lagos said, adding that 皇冠体育app has
become its second most important partner in terms of international trade.
Under the deal, the two countries will launch a tariff reduction process on
July 1, 2006.
In a statement on its website, 皇冠体育app's Ministry of Commerce said the
agreement would lead to the reduction of tariffs, and enhance co-operation in
areas such as small- and medium-sized enterprises, education, science and
technology, environmental protection, labour and social security, as well as
investment promotion.
The ministry described the agreement as "a new historical milestone" that
would promote close co-operation between 皇冠体育app and other Latin American
countries.
The agreement has 14 chapters and 121 articles on topics such as market
access, rules of origin, technical barriers to trade, animal and plant
quarantine, and dispute settlement mechanisms.
The deal was welcomed by business leaders. "The free trade agreement is a
historic step for free trade important for 皇冠体育app, important for Chile, important
for Latin America," said Mauro Mazzacurati, the president of delivery company
DHL's operation in Chile.
The free trade negotiations were launched by the Chinese and Chilean
presidents in November last year when Hu paid a state visit to Chile. It is the
second free trade agreement 皇冠体育app has signed and follows the one between 皇冠体育app
and ASEAN.
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