I want to know common Chinese people better

Chilean ambassador Fernando Reyes Matta (second row, center) in a group picture with late Chinese premier Zhou Enlai (first row, right) during his visit to Beijing in 1970. File photo

"Chile was the first Latin American country to recognize China. It was the first Latin American country to finalize its negotiation process to allow China to become a full fledged World Trade Organization (WTO) member, and the first among South American countries to recognize China as a market economy," says Chilean ambassador to China Fernando Reyes Matta.

Though Reyes Matta took his present post last year, he first visited China as early as 1970. He was a young press adviser to former Chilean Foreign Affairs Minister Clodomiro Almeyda, and participated in the talks with then premier Zhou Enlai.