SANTIAGO — Visiting State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on July 28 called for lifting economic, trade and investment cooperation between China and Chile to a new level.

Noting that achievements have been made in cooperation between China and Chile in recent years, Wang said during his meeting with his Chilean counterpart, Teodoro Ribera, that the two sides should maintain the momentum of high-level exchanges, and implement the joint action plan for 2019-2022 between the two governments.

The two sides should seize the opportunity of upgrading their free trade agreement to further promote economic, trade and investment cooperation, Wang said.

Wang also said that China is willing to participate in projects such as laying trans-Pacific undersea fiber optic cables to promote connectivity, and strengthen bilateral cooperation in 5G construction, artificial intelligence and other high-tech fields.

China is willing to encourage Chinese high-tech enterprises to invest in Chile and hopes that Chile will provide a sound business environment for Chinese companies, he added.

Wang said China welcomes Chile to participate in the second China International Import Expo, adding that the two sides should also strengthen people-to-people exchanges to cement the already firm foundation of bilateral ties.

China supports Chile in hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting in November, and the United Nations Climate Change Conference in December, and in playing a bigger role in promoting regional integration, Wang said.

For his part, Ribera said Chile is willing to work with China to organize commemorative activities to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Chile-China diplomatic ties.

Chile attaches great importance to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and is willing to fully participate in jointly building the BRI, strengthen bilateral cooperation in a wide range of areas such as scientific and technological innovation, and promote the overall cooperation between China and Latin America, he said.

Ribera said the Chilean side looks forward to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s participation in the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, adding that Chile believes Xi’s presence will help the meeting send a positive message of supporting free trade and safeguarding the multilateral trading system.