A free trade agreement signed between Chile and China is expected to be approved by the Chilean parliament, a senior foreign ministry official said on Wednesday.

"I believe this pact will be ratified by July 1," said Andres Rebolledo, head of bilateral affairs in the foreign ministry's international economic department.

The deal was signed in November 2005 by Chile's then president, Ricardo Lagos, and his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum held in Busan, South Korea.

The agreement is designed to boost the already strong trade between the two nations, worth 6 billion U.S. dollars in 2005. China is Chile's main customer for copper and one of its major trade partners.

Chile hopes this deal will provide a platform for attracting trade and investment from China and other Asian nations.

Source: Xinhua