Chancellor Ampuero announces the signing of the Cooperation Agreement between Chile and China of the Belt and Route initiative

In the seminar "Chile and the Belt and Road: The Tech and Finantial Connection with China", developed within the framework of the inauguration of Chile Week, this Thursday, November 1, Foreign Minister Roberto Ampuero informed that our country will join the initiative of the Belt and Route.

"Today, I have the honor to announce that President Piñera has decided to go one step further in the relationship between Chile and China: this Friday, November 2, we will sign the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation within the framework of the Belt and Route Initiative," the Minister announced.

The Belt & Road initiative is a Chinese driven development strategy that focuses on connectivity and cooperation, mainly between China and Eurasia, based on infrastructure, trade and investment.

The concept is inspired by the network of trade routes established in the Han dynasty (206 BC-220 AD), known as the Silk Road. This began in Chang'an (now Xian) in eastern China, and ended in the Mediterranean, connecting China with Europe.

In this context, Chancellor Ampuero explained that by joining this initiative, Chile will have better prospects of attracting powerful investments in various areas, especially at the level of infrastructure, along with strengthening our country's position as an entry platform for investments in Latin America from China and Asia in general.

The Secretary of State is in Beijing to participate in the Chile Week meeting, an initiative that is being developed for the fourth consecutive year, with the objective of deepening commercial ties between our country and China.

The Minister highlighted that "ChileWeek is a key activity to explore potential areas of cooperation within the framework of this initiative". He added: "In the coming days, our delegation, made up of representatives from the public and private sectors, will meet with their counterparts in order to move forward in this direction and show the opportunities offered by Chile as a supplier of goods and services, and as a destination for foreign investment and tourism".

Along with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the delegation of authorities includes the former President and Ambassador in Special Mission to Asia Pacific, Eduardo Frei; the Minister of Agriculture, Antonio Walker; the Minister of Public Works, Juan Andrés Fontaine; the Undersecretary of Tourism, Mónica Zalaquett; the director of ProChile, Jorge O'Ryan; the director of InvestChile, Cristián Rodríguez and the Intendant of the O'Higgins Region, Juan Manuel Masferrer.