Trade: Malaysia and Chile move closer to FTA

Malaysia is heading towards its eighth free trade deal, and its first with a Latin American country, after Malaysia's trade minister Rafidah Aziz and Chile's foreign minister Ignacio Walker, announced they have moved a step closer to a Free Trade Agreement (FTA).Officials are expected to start discussions in February, with a feasibility study to be completed by the end of 2006.

Chile is Malaysia's fourth largest trading partner among Latin American countries, with bilateral trade rising in 2004 by 77.7 percent to $232.4 million dollars.