Chile Trade Delegation To Visit KL

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 8 (Bernama) -- A trade delegation of more than 15 Chilean firms led by the Chilean Export Promotion Bureau (ProChile) will be in Kuala Lumpur on Nov 10 and 11 to establish or expand business relations with Malaysian companies. These companies are part of the delegation to the two-day “Flavours of Chile” event, to be hosted by the ProChile and the Embassy of Chile in Malaysia. ProChile director Felix De Vicente, who will be heading the delegation, said in a statement the event would be an ideal occasion for Malaysian businessmen to discover Chile's wide variety of high-quality products. “Our exporters are extremely serious about their business commitments and are reliable suppliers of healthy, safe and quality foods, including halal- certified ones, that are currently present in more than 150 countries in the world,” he said. To be held at the Westin Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, “Flavours of Chile” will include business seminars and networking initiatives, business matching sessions and visits to outlets and business premises in Malaysia. Under the Malaysia-Chile Free Trade Agreement, signed last year and currently confined to trade in goods, 96.5 per cent of trade between the two countries will be tariff-free. It is also Malaysia’s first bilateral FTA with a Latin American country. For Malaysia, its first bilateral FTA with a Latin American country will be an opportunity to use Chile as a hub, given that Chile has 21 agreements with 58 countries, including China, Japan, South Korea, United States and the European Union, which gives it preferential access to a worldwide market of more than 4.1 billion people. The business matching session will see one-on-one prearranged business meetings between visiting Chilean food and cosmetic exporting companies and local businesses. The Chilean exporters will hold a technical seminar on Chilean business culture before taking a business tour to get a better understanding of the steps involved in exporting their goods to Malaysia. "Through our technical seminars given by high-profile speakers, we will elaborate further on the main characteristics of our economy, the competitiveness, stability and transparency, as well as other advantages that make us reliable business partners,” he said. The highlight of the two-day event will be an exclusive dinner for 250 invited guests and media, prepared by Chilean celebrity TV chef Carlo Von Mühlenbrock, who will be flying to Kuala Lumpur for the occasion. Chilean exports to Malaysia have been increasing steadily, reaching RM656 million in 2010, more than double the value of 2009. (US$1=RM3.07) "There are many opportunities here that can benefit both Chilean and Malaysian companies. "Our objective is to expand exports to Malaysia, especially value-added food and beverage products, but also to inform Malaysians about business and investment opportunities in Chile”, added De Vicente. -- BERNAMA Malaysia