MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Members of Chilean delegation in China test positive for Covid-19

“It is clear to me that there are endless opportunities” for Chinese companies in Chile, Boric said

Various members of the Chilean delegation touring China ahead of the III Forum of the Belt and Road International Cooperation have tested positive for Covid-19 although President Gabriel Boric Font's results came back negative. All those infected will begin a 5-day isolation as per Chilean sanitary protocols, it was reported.

“The retinue is being tested daily and in case of any symptom, a repeat examination will be carried out and the use of masks in closed places has been suggested,” the President's Office said in a statement.

Boric has already undergone several PCR tests since he arrived in Beijing and all of them have been negative so far. His entourage is also being tested daily.

In addition to government officials, Máximo Pacheco, Chairman of the Board of Codelco, also tested positive for the malady.

Covid-19 aside, Boric has closed a US$ 233 million deal for Chinese investment in the lithium battery factory in Mejillones, in the Antofagasta Region. The project, to be developed as of 2025, will generate a total of 668 new jobs once it reaches its maximum production capacity (120,000 tons).

The investment corresponds to the proposal of the company China Yongqing Technology Co. Ltd, belonging to Tsingshan Holding Group, selected within the framework of the Corfo Call for Specialized Lithium Producers to Promote Value Added Initiatives in Chile.

“We are not going to limit ourselves only to the extraction of the non-metallic mineral, but we are also going to create value chains and transfer knowledge because one of the commitments made by the company is to generate exchange programs so that Chilean professionals can travel to China and also train in the development of this industry”, said Boric.

“Talking with Chilean businessmen who have managed to penetrate the Chinese market, with great effort, but also with the support of State agencies, it is clear to me that there are endless opportunities and these are reciprocal,” Boric also pointed out during his Chinese tour.

“I would like to invite you to invest with confidence in Chile, because our country is serious, responsible, with a long-term vision, and where you can be sure that the rules of the game are respected,” he added.

Boric was to meet Tuesday with Prime Minister Li Qiang and in the evening he will participate in the Belt and Road Forum's welcome banquet.

Also arriving in China Tuesday was Russian President Vladimir Putin, who will meet with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during an important multilateral summit. The Russian leader is making his first major trip abroad since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.