'Chinese firms can gain from mining deals'

The mining industry in Chile offers huge potential investment opportunities that Chinese companies have yet to tap, said Jorge Heine, Chile's ambassador to China.

"The investment relationship between China and Chile should not be limited to the copper business, with the two countries playing the roles of consumer and supplier," said Heine.

Chile produced 5.78 million metric tons of copper in 2013, accounting for 31.5 percent of the world's total. The nation has 27.5 percent of global copper reserves and has attracted almost 42 percent of the world's copper mining investment.