Xi Pens Article in Chilean Newspaper Before Visit
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) published a signed article titled “Jointly Creating a Better Future for China-Chile Relations” (共同開創中國和智利關係更加美好的未來) in Chile’s El Mercurio (信使報) newspaper on November 22, 2016, ahead of his state visit. In the article, Xi described Chile as a “country at the end of the world” with beautiful scenery and praised its people for creating a “development miracle.” He noted that despite geographic distance, the two nations shared deep connections, referencing how Chilean poet Pablo Neruda called China a “great brother.” Xi highlighted several diplomatic “firsts,” including Chile being the first South American country to establish relations with the PRC on December 15, 1970, and the first Latin American country to sign a bilateral free trade agreement with China in 2005. Xi claimed bilateral trade reached $31.8 billion in 2015, “making China Chile’s largest trading partner and Chile China’s third-largest trade partner in Latin America.”
