Peru will emerge as the winner when negotiations of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with China are concluded, said Tuesday the minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism, Mercedes Araoz.
"That's the goal. I must make clear that our technical team will not give up, since we are working on a deal that will make us all win, especially our productive sectors".
In this way, she ruled out any possibility that during the Sixth Round of Negotiations of the FTA, from October 13 to 18 in Beijing (China), Peru would reduce the basket of sensitive products included in the negotiation.
The Peruvian technical team is working hard to reach a much wider agreement than just negotiating a tariff movement from either part.
Therefore, other subjects such as customs (which will have adequate cooperation), services, labor and even intellectual property are also being negotiated.
"This FTA is being negotiated thinking of the Peruvian economic growth, which should not only be tied to the current economic cycle, which is bad, but the future economic cycle".
On the eve, several business associations attended the Commission of Foreign Trade and Tourism of the Congress to unveil the situation of the negotiations, and ask the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Mincetur) not to give up on the free trade deal with China.
They warned that China's proposal to reduce the list of exclusions from 13.89 to ten percent of sensitive items would put into risk Peruvian products such as footwear, textiles and garments.
Minister Aráoz made clear that the Peruvian team would not accept any immediate duty elimination on sensitive products.
"At no time did we say that the textile sector will be subject to any duty elimination and we will never do it, we talked about partial breaks and long term duty elimination, that is, 17 years. In addition, we will keep the most sensitive products on the list of ten percent".
She recalled that the Mincetur works on its own strategy with business associations to follow up FTA negotiations. "You can be sure that a good job is being done".
"I know the unions attended the Congress to express their concerns, but on the other hand, we made the lists of access with them themselves. The negotiation is not for today but forever and that is a negotiation with clear rules for bilateral trade, which is the most important thing for business".
Source: Andina