Chile eyes seafood market in China

QINGDAO - Chile is set to sign seafood treaties with China at the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Beijing to further facilitate Chilean seafood imports to China, Chilean officials said Wednesday.

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Raul Sunico Galdames, head of Chile's fishery and aquiculture administration, told Xinhua that his country will ink cooperation deals with China to ramp up quality supervision, inspection and quarantine on Chilean aquatic products, which will greatly improve customs efficiency once implemented.

The move is aimed at feeding increasing demand from China, which imported $2.27 billion worth of Chilean seafood in 2013, mostly frozen products such as kelp and salmon, Galdames said at an ongoing international fishery exhibition in Qingdao, East China's Shandong province.

China is becoming a magnet for Chilean companies as demand for seafood rises, said Pedro Ovalle, executive of a seafood company in Chile.

"We plan to export some instant seafood at the moment, which will be a perfect choice for people living a busy life in China," Pedro said, adding his company will launch sales in four major Chinese cities first, including Qingdao, Shanghai and Hong Kong.

A total of 20 Chilean companies attending the Qingdao exhibition have expressed intentions to tap the Chinese market, according to Pedro.