With a call to expand markets and Chilean goods and services to the world, the Director General of ProChile, Ignacio Fernández, inaugurated the ENEXPRO export meeting "Diversifying business with the world", which brings together 29 commercial and agricultural attachés from the most important world markets.
This event, which kicks off ProChile's 50th anniversary activities, includes around 15 activities in 6 cities across the country, as well as more than 600 bilateral meetings with companies and the participation of close to 100 guilds of creative industries, industries 4.0, services and agri-food.
"Chile has expanded and enriched its productive matrix, diversifying not only the goods and services it exports, but also the markets it accesses," said ProChile's Director General, Ignacio Fernández.
The inauguration was attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alberto Van Klaveren; the Minister of Agriculture, Esteban Valenzuela; the Undersecretary of International Economic Relations, Claudia Sanhueza, together with the Executive Director of the Fundación Imagen de Chile, Rossana Dresdner; the Director of InvestChile, Karla Flores and the Executive Vice President of Corfo, José Miguel Benavente.
Minister Van Klaveren said that this ENEXPRO "is a fundamental meeting for consolidating the bridges that exist between the public and private worlds". He added that the commercial and agricultural attachés are "an indispensable complement to our foreign service: their work is essential for our country's economic growth. Today we need to incorporate new elements of innovation, adaptability and also a strategic collaboration with the projection of Chile abroad: it is not only a matter of showing that Chile is a reliable exporter, but also an integral commercial partner, capable of offering a differential value in each product and service".
Undersecretary Sanhueza stressed that dialogue, coordination and public-private collaboration at the local and global levels are vital for the effective functioning of Chilean trade policy. "For this reason, the commercial attaché offices are fundamental pieces to carry out the diversification of our export basket: in addition to enhancing the possibilities of commercial activity for micro, small and medium-sized companies, they allow us to visualize opportunities in areas that are increasingly relevant to current challenges", she said.
Increase in international trade in 2024
The Director General of ProChile, Ignacio Fernández, gave a detailed presentation on the evolution of exports over the last five decades. He pointed out that in 1974 -when the institution was founded- Chile exported close to US$ 2 billion, where 85% corresponded to copper and other minerals. In comparison, in 2023, more than US$ 90 billion were exported, where 46% corresponded to non-copper and non-lithium goods.
"In conclusion, Chile has expanded and enriched its productive matrix, diversifying not only the goods and services it exports, but also the markets accessed. Currently, we export more than 4,000 goods and services to close to 190 world destinations," said Fernández.
By 2024, the ProChile CEO added, world trade is expected to increase 3.3%, according to the latest World Trade Organization Trade Outlook Report, driven by Asia and North America. "In this context, the market and product diversification strategy that Chile has adopted becomes a prudent and strategic approach to mitigate the risks associated with volatility," he said.
Market diversification
The inauguration featured a panel of attachés, attachés and trade representatives from Europe, the United States, Asia, South America and the Caribbean, who presented the opportunities for Chilean goods and services offered in different territories, particularly in sectors such as services and technological solutions for various industries, such as mining, agriculture and energy; creative industries and inclusive exports.
Fernando Schmidt, Chile's commercial attaché in Taipei and coordinator of the institution's offices in Asia, highlighted the opportunities that exist in that area in areas such as innovation and sustainable solutions, as well as e-commerce channels. Meanwhile, for Latin America, Marcela Aravena, commercial attaché in Colombia, highlighted Chile's good positioning in the region and how it can serve as a gateway for financial, educational and health-related services companies.
For his part, ProChile's trade representative in Milan and coordinator of the European offices, Felipe Repetto, highlighted the Chile Summit planned for May 2024, which will seek to diversify opportunities particularly for service companies and those related to green hydrogen. Finally, Claudia Serrer, director of ProChile in Miami, highlighted the opportunity to showcase feminist foreign policy as an attribute of Chilean exports.
See the original article on ProChile's website.
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