The Director General of Chile Customs, Karl Dietert, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, Yang Jiechi, have signed a Customs Cooperation Agreement in the framework of the meeting between Chilean President, Michelle Bachelet, and President of the People s Republic of China, Hu Jintao, in compliance with the FTA in force between both Parties since 2006. 

The signed Agreement provides for cooperation between both Customs Administrations in areas such as information exchange and implementation of mutual technical assistance measures.

"The signing of this Agreement is very important for Chilean Customs since the People s Republic of China is Chile s second largest trading partner in the world and it became the main destination country of our exports in 2008, even passing the United States, which occupied that place for years. Likewise, imports reached USD 6 thousand, 800 hundred millions during 2008, an increase of 39% , said the Director General of Customs, Karl Dietert.

World trade has increased and has become much more complex with the emergence of globalisation.  Today, world s Customs administrations apply not only taxes, but they have many other tasks related to the protection and facilitation of legitimate international trade.  

"To ensure its economy be efficiently combined with that of its main trading partners is of great strategic importance for Chile.   With this Co-operation Agreement Chile continues to make progress with the implementation of its national development strategy , highlighted Dietert.

"Apart from their roles in fighting against undervaluation and smuggling of prohibited goods, modern Customs Administrations have to balance trade facilitation function through more efficiency in the international trade supply chain with the protection of intellectual property rights and the correct application of the new tariff preferences stated in the current FTAs , said Dietert.