Chile keen to deepen ties with China
Chilean President Michelle Bachelet Jeria has a dream of holding an exhibition of Terracotta Warriors back home to celebrate the Latin American nation's 200th birth in 2010, said Chilean Ambassador to China, Fernando Reyes Matta.
Boosting cultural ties between China and Chile has become one of the major achievements of Bachelet's visit about two weeks ago, the diplomat told China Daily in a recent interview.
Mapuche - Seeds of Chile, a large exhibition tracing the roots of Chilean culture, opened at the Capital Museum in Beijing and marked the start of a new cultural exchange program inaugurated during the president's visit.
But it is merely a start for Reyes Matta, who said: "Strong cultural ties are the basis of trust and understanding between the two nations. The culture framework is also essential for economic and commercial relationship."
"Apart from the Terracotta Warriors, President Bachelet told President Hu Jintao that Chile hoped to hold a big-scale Chinese cultural exhibition to celebrate the nation's 200th birthday," Reyes Matta said. He expressed the hope that the two sides can have more cooperation in modern culture, including music and movies as well.
But more than culture, the ambassador said the cooperation between the two countries could extend into other sectors, marking the success of President Bachelet's state visit.
A joint communiqu issued between the two state leaders during the visit has opened up more opportunities for the two nations' future cooperation. Reyes Matta singled out social sector as an example.
"We have established a new dialogue in social development because Chile is building social cohesion, while China is aiming for a harmonious society," Reyes Matta said.
"We want to achieve progress in social development together," he added, noting Chile will keep its doors open for China on the pension system, medical care, and a mechanism to fight corruption, as Beijing is interested in the Latin American country's experience in these areas.
Reyes Matta also noted that Chile had a lot to learn from China on the societal level, particularly in building new cities. "Changes of Chinese cities are very interesting for us. We haven't got cities like Shenzhen in Chile," he said.
The state visit has also brought fruits of economic cooperation for the two nations. A service trade pact was signed as a supplementary to their free trade agreement.
(China Daily 05/01/2008 page6)
