Chile highlights global interest in Pacific Alliance

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SANTIAGO, Sept. 12 -- Chilean Foreign Minister Alfredo Moreno said Thursday the participation of new observer countries to the Pacific Alliance reflects the interest that the Latin American trade bloc is generating around the world.

That is also the reason why presidents of member countries comprising Chile, Colombia, Peru and Mexico will meet at the end of September in New York, on the sidelines of the 68th United Nations General Assembly, he said.

"The alliance is not to separate us from the world, on the contrary, it is to bring us together so we can jointly face the possibilities the world offers us," he said.

A total of 20 countries have been granted observer status to the alliance, including Panama, Costa Rica, Spain, China, the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Japan since it was founded in June 2012 in Chile.

Asked about China's participation as an observer, Moreno said, "China has been one of the latest countries to join the Pacific Alliance as an observer, along with the United States, and now we have the applications of Germany and England."

China was granted the observer status at the end of June.

Moreno said China is Chile's main trade partner and is also one of the most important trade partners for Latin America and the Caribbean, where China has active trade and investment.

The alliance, with a market of 209 million people, represents 35 percent of Latin America's gross domestic product, or about 2 trillion U.S. dollars. Its 5-percent annual growth in 2012 is 3.2 percent higher than the world's average.

The four members represent 50 percent of the region's trade, with exports of 556 billion U.S. dollars and imports of 551 billion dollars in 2012. Their main exports include fuel, minerals, and agricultural and manufacturing products.

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