Foreign Secretary Luis Videgaray Caso traveled to Viña del Mar, Chile to attend the Pacific Alliance (PA) ministerial meeting that includes Mexico, Chile, Peru and Colombia.

He also participated in the High-Level Dialogue on Integration Initiatives in the Asia-Pacific Region: Challenges and Opportunities, which seeks to explore ways to collaborate with Asian nations on free trade and economic integration between the two regions.

The countries invited to this dialogue are the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and Brunei.

While in Chile, Foreign Secretary Videgaray held bilateral meetings with Chilean Foreign Minister Heraldo Muñoz Valenzuela and with Peruvian Foreign Minister Ricardo V. Luna Mendoza.

The first day of his trip ended with a dinner given by Chilean President Michelle Bachelet at the Cerro Castillo Presidential Palace to the ministers and officials attending the meetings in Viña del Mar.

Foreign Secretary Videgaray Caso began his second day in Chile by attending a breakfast with the ministers of the signatory countries to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), before taking part in the High-Level Dialogue with representatives from the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and Brunei.

At the ministerial meeting, the Pacific Alliance ministers reaffirmed their commitment to free trade and discussed the current international situation. They also agreed to create the status of Associated State for the Alliance, which will further trade integration by allowing it to conduct trade negotiations with extra-regional countries or blocs that lead in the near future to agreements with high quality standards for trade.

The High-Level Dialogue was held to build bridges with the countries of the Asia-Pacific region. The ministers reflected on the current trade situation and possible options for boosting regional integration and free trade. In addition to the Foreign, Economy and Trade Secretaries of the Pacific Alliance member countries, senior officials from Australia, Brunei, Canada, China, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, the United States and Vietnam attended the meeting.

The High-Level Dialogue was convened by the four countries of the Pacific Alliance with the aim of taking advantage of the regional platforms and creating this initiative as an example of trade openness and as the axis of trade integration between Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region.

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