Chile, which signed a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with China in 2006, saw new opportunity of its own recovery in the Asian country's 8.9 percent GDP growth in the third quarter, a newspaper article said on Monday.

China's economic growth boosted Chile's copper export to the country, said the article published on Chilean financial daily Estrategia with the title of "China: The Best Ally of the Chilean Recovery."

"In July the copper sales have surpassed the figures of 2006, due to the systematic increase of the Chinese stock of copper," the daily said.

China and Chile are important copper importer and exporter, respectively.

According to a report from the Chilean Foreign Ministry, since 2007, more than one fifth of Chile's copper products went to China.

This month marks the third anniversary of the FTA with China, which has allowed the effective tariff payment for the Chilean products to China to reach 0.2 percent in 2008.

Bilateral trade is expected to continue growing, the article said.

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