• In the context of the business meeting led by President Gabriel Boric in China, Karla Flores and Foreign Affairs Minister Alberto van Klaveren held a dialogue on investment with more than 30 representatives of local companies.

On her first day in Beijing as part of President Gabriel Boric’s tour of Asia for the fourth ministerial meeting of the China-CELAC Forum, InvestChile Director Karla Flores met this afternoon with more than 30 representatives of Chinese companies during the “InvestChile Talks: Investment Dialogue” event.

The event was chaired by Foreign Affairs Minister Alberto van Klaveren and moderated by InvestChile’s investment attaché in Asia, Catalina Pérez. It took place within the context of the Chile-China Business Meeting, led by President Boric and organized by InvestChile and ProChile.

At the event’s opening, before an audience of more than 100 local companies and authorities, President Boric stressed that “Chile maintains its deep conviction that the way forward is to build bridges and expand our relationships around the globe. In this, China is a fundamental partner.” He also stated, “the challenges we face, from the climate emergency to digital transformation, require collaborative solutions. Chile and China can work together on this to address these global challenges for the mutual benefit of each other and the planet as a whole.”

Investment for development

In his speech during the dialogue with Chinese companies, Foreign Affairs Minister Alberto van Klaveren reviewed Chile’s main attributes as a business partner and emphasized, “our commitment is clear: to move towards an open, modern and sustainable economy that not only seeks to export products but also to convey our values, principles and culture. We are looking for foreign investment that shares our vision of development, promotes decentralization, revitalizes our regions and contributes to improving the quality of life of our communities.”

In addition to offering a comprehensive economic overview of the country and its business opportunities, InvestChile Director highlighted the dynamism of foreign investment in Chile, its importance for the development of strategic sectors and its significant share in private investment expected in the country in the coming years (more than 76%). She also emphasized that “Chinese companies’ projects are focused on sectors where we need to invest to make qualitative leaps in the shortest possible timeframe: renewable energy generation and electricity transmission; public infrastructure; critical minerals; technology and science. Their presence has acquired a significant share in our economy, and we believe there is room for further growth, especially in terms of value addition.”

Chinese investment in Chile has seen a remarkable growth. In 2016, InvestChile only had five Chinese investment projects in its portfolio, valued at US$310 million. Last year, the agency managed a total of 17 investment projects from Chinese companies, valued at nearly US$4 billion, making Chile the fourth largest source economy in its portfolio.

The presidential tour to Asia culminates tomorrow with a series of protocol and political events in Beijing, with the meeting between President Boric and his delegation and Chinese President Xi Jinping the highlight.