The delegation showed interest principally in the food sector as well as in the procedures for starting operations in Chile.

An eight-strong delegation of municipal government officials and businesspeople from Qingdao, one of China’s principal ports, met with Foreign Investment Committee (CIEChile) executives this morning to talk about Chile’s business climate and the investment opportunities it offers.

The companies, mostly related to the food industry, expressed interest in  the procedures for starting operations in Chile and the services provided by the country’s new Investment Promotion Agency.

Pedro Asenjo, head of CIEChile’s Investment Attraction Area, noted that the institution has “Chinese personnel who can provide specific information about different sectors and help companies to organize meetings with the leading players of industries they are interested in in Chile.”

“We see China as an ally, it is our principal trading partner and Chile is China’s second most important market in Latin America; however, despite our good trading relations, Chinese foreign direct investment in Chile has been slow to arrive and remains a challenge for us,” he added.