Chile seeks FTAs with 11 Asian countries
Ohmynews, 2005/11/05
Chile Seeks FTAs with 11 Asian Countries
The trade map includes Japan, India, Australia and ASEAN members
Matthias Erlandsen Lorca
After the negotiations on a possible Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with China, the Chilean government already started a route to conquer the rest of the market in the Asia-Pacific region. The list has 11 countries.
The director of the Asian Department at the Economic Direction in the Chilean chancellery (Direcon), Viviana Araneda, said that Chile could start negotiations for a FTA with Japan for 2006, another with India and to start a feasibility study for one with Thailand.
"All this is the map of the things we have more or less seen," Araneda said. The navigation map could include Malaysia and Indonesia, "which are countries that have an important power in trade agreements in the zone."
Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta have made their interests pretty clear in signing big FTAs with Chile. "There is a very overloaded schedule with Asia", Araneda said.
Chile’s entrance into Asia started after Korea in 2004, and was followed by the agreement between Chile and Pacific Four (P4), Singapore, Brunei and New Zealand (this from Oceania).
ASEAN or P4?
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is formed by 10 countries which includes Singapore, Brunei, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Laos, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar (formally Burma).
"There are two ways to negotiate with ASEAN: Step by step or in a complete block. In this moment we are trying step by step, but we have to focus ourselves in ASEAN though global terms," Araneda said.
This conglomeration that has more than 520 million people, is the center of a lot of trading activity. Besides, the block progresses in a FTA with China, Korea and Japan (ASEAN+3).
The other way to be used is P4, which has a clause that says others countries can join it. In fact, originally, this agreement was called P3; Brunei joined it only in the final conversations.
"P4 give us the chance to add countries, ASEAN or no ASEAN, and even APEC countries like Peru and Australia," said Araneda, yesterday, after participating in a seminary about the agreement organized by the Chamber of Commerce in Santiago, Chile.
Last week, Chile opened negotiations for a FTA with Peru and Ecuador. A Partial Pursuit Agreement (PPA) with India would be signed this month, while both governments wait for the results of a bilateral FTA.
