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Colombian official says China
important to Latin America
Colombian Finance Minister
Alberto Carrasquilla said on
Tuesday that China was vital to
Latin American development and
he called for closer relations
with the Asian country.
"I think we should focus,... on
future business not only with
China, but also with the rest of
Latin America," Carrasquilla
told reporters on the sidelines
of an annual meeting of the
Inter-American Development Bank
in the southeastern Brazilian
city of Belo Horizonte.
Colombian industries, including
textiles and shoes, were facing
challenges from China's
"super-efficient production",
but "we view it as a challenge
for progress, " said
Carrasquilla.
He praised Chile's decision of
signing a free trade deal with
China, adding that Colombia also
has a lot of opportunities which
could interest China.
Chile was the first Latin
American nation to clinch a free
trade agreement with China last
year.
Colombia should try to kick off
negotiations with China and
other Asian countries on
bilateral free trade deals,
Carrasquilla said.
"We have huge possibilities in
Colombia and we are very excited
about the possibility of
starting negotiations with
China," he said.
The minister noted specifically
Colombia's energy resources,
saying he would welcome Chinese
investment in this area.
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