Chile interested in free trade agreement with PH—Domingo
Manila Standard Today, Philippines
Chile interested in free trade agreement with PH—Domingo
By Othel V. Campos
11 January 2015
A Chilean delegation is set to arrive in March and may initiate talks for a bilateral free trade agreement with the Philippines, Trade Secretary Gregory Domingo said over the weekend.
“They’re [Chile] one of the most prolific when it comes to FTAs [free trade agreements],” Domingo said.
He said Chile was the first to initiate talks to start sectoral and comprehensive trade with the Philippines.
The Chilean trade mission is among the three foreign trade delegations that will visit the Philippines in the first quarter. The two others are the Japanese delegation of small and medium enterprises and a US trade mission.
Domingo said in response to Chile’s request, the Trade Department would return the favor to go to Chile by the middle of the year in search for more bilateral investments as a part of a trade mission that might include other countries in South America.
The Trade Department is looking at Brazil and Mexico to add to the official business trip to South America.
“I just met with the Chilean ambassador and I learned that this country is very interested to have a trade agreement with us. We hope to, unofficially, set the tone for a successful scoping study first when they get here by March. From there will see how the FTA will go,” Domingo said.
The Philippines, apart from having Chile as a model country for sustainable mining practices, is also a big consumer of Chilean wines.
