Foreign Trade Minister Francisco Rivadeneira:
Ecuador wants trade pact with Japan in near future
Rivadeneira is on his first official visit to Japan and has held meetings with counterparts in the Japanese government and heads of financial and academic institutions and the private sector.
“The main objective of this visit is to show, at the highest levels, the will to strengthen trade relations,” the minister said, adding that the year 2018 would mark 100 years of bilateral ties between the two countries.
Bilateral trade between is currently estimated at around $600 million annually, a volume that is not representative of its true potential, according to Rivadeneira.
He said that obstacles to boosting trade exist in the form of duties and the lack of knowledge about Japanese business culture. He stressed that Ecuador sought to formalize trade talks that have taken place with the Japanese authorities over the last two years and start negotiating a future agreement as soon as possible.
That agreement is expected to benefit Ecuador’s agriculture and agri-business sector, especially regarding the export of products such as mangos, bananas, broccoli, cocoa, flowers and wood, as well as their derivative products.
Rivandeira participated in a conference on bilateral relations organized by the Ecuadorian embassy in Tokyo. He is scheduled to conclude his visit on Friday with separate meetings with the representatives of the Japanese Foreign Ministry and the Japan Business Federation.
Source: laht.com