De manera clave, el nuevo acuerdo incluye reglas de origen acumulativas, lo que significa que los productores chilenos pueden usar insumos peruanos y colombianos para exportar a M\u00e9xico, y a\u00fan as\u00ed tener acceso preferencial a ese mercado en virtud del tratado de libre comercio entre los dos pa\u00edses.<\/p>\n
\u201cLas reglas de origen acumulativas son el beneficio m\u00e1s evidente del acuerdo de la Alianza del Pac\u00edfico\u201d, dice a bUSiness Chile<\/em> Rodrigo Contreras, titular de la Direcci\u00f3n General de Relaciones Econ\u00f3micas Internacionales (DIRECON), entidad dependiente del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores. \u201cOtras ventajas son la convergencia de aranceles, el libre desplazamiento de los empresarios y la posibilidad de programas de intercambio estudiantil. De manera que no nos estamos limitando simplemente a temas comerciales en esta negociaci\u00f3n, vamos un paso m\u00e1s all\u00e1\u201d, afirma Contreras.<\/p>\n Si bien Estados Unidos no fue invitado a unirse a la iniciativa, las empresas estadounidenses de todos modos se beneficiar\u00e1n, seg\u00fan el primer director para las Am\u00e9ricas de la C\u00e1mara de Comercio de Estados Unidos, Patrick Kilbride.<\/p>\n \u201cLas compa\u00f1\u00edas estadounidenses que invirtieron en la regi\u00f3n pueden beneficiarse de las eficiencias y redes establecidas por la Alianza del Pac\u00edfico\u201d, sostiene.<\/p>\n \u201cNo obstante, desde una perspectiva pol\u00edtica m\u00e1s amplia, lamentamos que Estados Unidos no haya asumido un rol m\u00e1s activo. Fue frustrante ver que el ALCA no dio frutos, pero algunos de los pa\u00edses comprometidos en el Arco del Pac\u00edfico, y en definitiva los que estaban listos para avanzar, formaron la alianza. Los que no lo hicieron tendr\u00e1n que ponerse al d\u00eda m\u00e1s tarde\u201d, se\u00f1ala Kilbride.<\/p>\n Aparte de Costa Rica y Panam\u00e1, los miembros del Arco del Pac\u00edfico no incluidos en la Alianza son Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras y Nicaragua.<\/p>\n En cuanto a los miembros fundadores, Contreras explica que Chile, Per\u00fa, Colombia y M\u00e9xico implementar\u00e1n el acuerdo en dos etapas. La primera etapa fortalecer\u00e1 los acuerdos comerciales que ya est\u00e1n vigentes (Chile, por ejemplo, est\u00e1 cerca de lograr una zona de arancel cero con Colombia y Per\u00fa). La segunda fase interconectar\u00e1 los acuerdos bilaterales existentes entre los cuatro pa\u00edses y a\u00f1adir\u00e1 etapas adicionales, tales como hacer m\u00e1s f\u00e1cil que quienes viajen por negocios transiten dentro de la Alianza, facilitar los intercambios estudiantiles e integrar los mercados electr\u00f3nicos. Sin embargo, en definitiva, la mayor ganancia para los miembros de la reci\u00e9n forjada Alianza del Pac\u00edfico es el saber que no est\u00e1n solos. \u201cHay una sensaci\u00f3n de fortaleza cuando uno va ante un tercero como una asociaci\u00f3n de al menos cuatro pa\u00edses, en lugar de a negociar de manera individual\u201d, se\u00f1ala Contreras.<\/p>\n Unidos por Asia <\/strong><\/p>\n El nombre Alianza del Pac\u00edfico no es ning\u00fan accidente. El pacto est\u00e1 orientado a expandir el comercio a trav\u00e9s del Pac\u00edfico con Asia, a donde las cuatro naciones exportaron en conjunto US$71.000 millones en bienes y servicios el a\u00f1o pasado, registrando un crecimiento promedio anual del 13% entre el 2007 y el 2011. <\/p>\n Juntos, Chile, Per\u00fa, Colombia y M\u00e9xico aspiran a negociar mejores condiciones de comercio e inversi\u00f3n con sus socios asi\u00e1ticos. \u201cEl mundo del Asia-Pac\u00edfico, que es no solamente el mundo del futuro, sino que ya es el mundo del presente\u201d, dijo el presidente Pi\u00f1era en la ceremonia celebrada en Paranal.<\/p>\n Como parte de su inter\u00e9s estrat\u00e9gico en la regi\u00f3n del Asia-Pac\u00edfico, Chile est\u00e1 involucrado en las actuales negociaciones para ampliar su Acuerdo de Asociaci\u00f3n TransPac\u00edfico (TPP, por su sigla en ingl\u00e9s). Chile fue un miembro fundador del pacto comercial, previamente conocido como P4, cuando entr\u00f3 en vigencia en el 2006 junto con Brunei, Nueva Zelanda y Singapur. Ahora Estados Unidos y otros pa\u00edses est\u00e1n ansiosos por unirse al acuerdo que es visto como un veh\u00edculo para la liberalizaci\u00f3n del comercio a trav\u00e9s de la regi\u00f3n del Asia-Pac\u00edfico.<\/p>\n Pero considerando que China no ha manifestado inter\u00e9s en unirse al TPP, no todos piensan que la participaci\u00f3n de Chile es una buena decisi\u00f3n.<\/p>\n \u201cPara Sudam\u00e9rica hoy en d\u00eda, es m\u00e1s importante que la econom\u00eda china crezca un punto porcentual a una expansi\u00f3n de un punto en la econom\u00eda estadounidense\u201d, sostiene Osvaldo Rosales, director de la Divisi\u00f3n de Comercio Internacional e Integraci\u00f3n de la Comisi\u00f3n Econ\u00f3mica para Latinoam\u00e9rica y el Caribe (CEPAL). \u201cSi China es la ni\u00f1a bonita de la fiesta, entonces \u00bfes el TPP la mejor manera de llegar a ella? Tengo serias dudas\u201d, comenta.<\/p>\n A juicio de Rosales, China est\u00e1 esperando una respuesta colectiva de los pa\u00edses latinoamericanos sobre c\u00f3mo quieren relacionarse con el nuevo motor de la econom\u00eda global, y la Alianza del Pac\u00edfico es un paso positivo al respecto.<\/p>\n Sin embargo, pese a todo lo que se habla de China, que super\u00f3 a Estados Unidos como el principal mercado de exportaci\u00f3n de Chile mayoritariamente por su demanda de cobre, Kilbride de la C\u00e1mara de Comercio de Estados Unidos cree que su naci\u00f3n tiene una relaci\u00f3n m\u00e1s saludable con Chile y el resto de los pa\u00edses que conforman la Alianza del Pac\u00edfico.<\/p>\n \u201cChile tiene una relaci\u00f3n comercial m\u00e1s diversa con nosotros, que involucra a muchos sectores diferentes de su econom\u00eda y es m\u00e1s resistente y sostenible en el tiempo, no es susceptible a los shocks en los precios de los bienes b\u00e1sicos\u201d.<\/p>\n Integraci\u00f3n de Mercado e Inversi\u00f3n <\/strong><\/p>\n Los cuatro pa\u00edses ya han incrementado la integraci\u00f3n en \u00e1reas como mercados electr\u00f3nicos, investigaci\u00f3n cient\u00edfica, promoci\u00f3n de las exportaciones y eliminaci\u00f3n de aranceles.<\/p>\n En mayo del a\u00f1o pasado, las bolsas de Chile, Colombia y Per\u00fa lanzaron el Mercado Integrado de Latinoam\u00e9rica (MILA), lo que cre\u00f3 la primera plataforma de negociaci\u00f3n privada cruzada en la regi\u00f3n.<\/p>\n Si bien MILA comenz\u00f3 lentamente, con modestos vol\u00famenes de negociaci\u00f3n, la potencial incorporaci\u00f3n de la Bolsa Mexicana de Valores -BMV- en el 2013 y quiz\u00e1s de la brasile\u00f1a BM&F Bovespa m\u00e1s adelante, podr\u00eda convertirse en un actor financiero global.<\/p>\n Y la inversi\u00f3n extranjera directa en la regi\u00f3n est\u00e1 creciendo. El Informe sobre las Inversiones en el Mundo, preparado por la Conferencia de las Naciones Unidas sobre Comercio y Desarrollo (UNCTAD), muestra que el a\u00f1o pasado Am\u00e9rica Latina y el Caribe recibieron un 34,6% del total de inversi\u00f3n extranjera directa en el mundo, que alcanz\u00f3 un total de US$216.400 millones.<\/p>\n El a\u00f1o pasado, Colombia ocup\u00f3 el quinto lugar en el r\u00e1nking global de crecimiento de la inversi\u00f3n extranjera directa y el primero en la regi\u00f3n con US$14.400 millones, un incremento del 113,4% respecto del 2010. Chile creci\u00f3 un 16,4% en el 2011, mientras que la inversi\u00f3n extranjera directa en Per\u00fa escal\u00f3 un 7,4%.<\/p>\n \u201cLos inversionistas han estado esperando un marco andino desde hace alg\u00fan tiempo\u201d, se\u00f1ala Hedmond R\u00edos, economista de la corredora chilena Celfin Capital. \u201cUn acuerdo de este tipo puede lubricar las pol\u00edticas econ\u00f3micas entre estos pa\u00edses, incrementar las certezas jur\u00eddicas para los operadores y negociadores, y reducir las tasas de inter\u00e9s, todos lo cual favorece la inversi\u00f3n y tienen un potente efecto sobre el capital\u201d. La comunidad empresarial est\u00e1 haciendo su parte para hacer que la Alianza del Pac\u00edfico avance y representantes del sector privado de los cuatro pa\u00edses sostuvieron una cumbre paralela durante la reuni\u00f3n en el Observatorio Paranal.<\/p>\n Desde la posici\u00f3n ventajosa de funcionarios de gobierno y empresarios, alto en el desierto de Atacama, la Alianza del Pac\u00edfico navega al oeste con el viento a favor. Pero Rosales de la Cepal, quien asesor\u00f3 a algunos de los gobiernos durante las negociaciones del Arco del Pac\u00edfico y presion\u00f3 en vano por un tratado de libre comercio regional, teme que podr\u00eda reducirse a poco m\u00e1s que la oportunidad para sacarse una foto.<\/p>\n \u201cEl tiempo y muchas canas te ense\u00f1an que hay una gran diferencia entre los titulares y el contenido real de un acuerdo\u201d, sostiene Rosales. \u201cPor hora, hasta que veamos resultados, son solo buenas intenciones\u201d.<\/p>\n Sebasti\u00e1n P\u00e9rez-Ferreiro trabaja como periodista freelance en Santiago<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Peru\u2019s Former President Alan Garc\u00eda has called the Pacific the \u201cocean of the future\u201d. It\u2019s not hard to see why – on the opposite side of the ocean lies Asia, a vast and populous trading partner hungry for commodities produced in Latin America. But, as Garc\u00eda has pointed out, Peru, Chile, Colombia and Mexico are better positioned to tap this huge market if they are united.<\/p>\n The four countries represent a combined market of 215 million people with an average per capita income of US$13,000. They also account for about one third of Latin America\u2019s GDP – some US$2 billion, equivalent to the ninth largest economy in the world (California) – and half of Latin America\u2019s total trade with the rest of the world.<\/p>\n In early 2011, then-President Garc\u00eda proposed a trade integration initiative called the Pacific Alliance. The first meeting of the four countries was held in Lima in April last year and established the framework for negotiations. Chile hosted the fourth meeting on June 6 and the leaders of the four countries – Chilean President Sebastian Pi\u00f1era, Mexico\u2019s Felipe Calder\u00f3n, Colombia\u2019s Juan Manuel Santos, and Peru\u2019s Ollanta Humala – met at the Paranal Observatory near Antofagasta to sign an agreement that formally created the Alliance.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is much more than a free trade agreement, it seeks the free movement not only of goods but also services, capital and people\u2026 together we can go further and advance faster than if we acted on our own,\u201d said President Pi\u00f1era at the signing ceremony.<\/p>\n \u201cIn today\u2019s world characterized by recession, stagnation and economic slowdown, it is satisfying to note that our countries are leading the way in growth, free trade and integration,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n Colombia\u2019s President Juan Manuel Santos called the agreement \u201cthe most important process of integration in Latin America\u201d and he emphasized the shared principals and objectives that helped to facilitate negotiations.<\/p>\n A spin-off of the wider and fruitless Pacific Arch initiative, which in turn derived from the failed US\u2013led Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), the Pacific Alliance integrates countries that are already committed to each other through bilateral agreements.<\/p>\n But it also establishes the basis for admitting future members. In fact, two of the Pacific Arch countries are waiting in the wings: Panama and Costa Rica acted as observers during the signing of the framework agreement and may be ready to join the open accord as early as 2013. <\/p>\n Rules of origin<\/strong><\/p>\n Crucially, the new accord includes cumulative rules of origin, which means that Chilean producers can use Peruvian and Colombian inputs to export to Mexico, and still have preferential access to that market under the Free Trade Agreement between the two countries.<\/p>\n \u201cThe cumulative rules of origin is the most evident gain of the Pacific Alliance agreement,\u201d the director of the Foreign Affairs Ministry\u2019s Department of International Economic Affairs (DIRECON), Rodrigo Contreras, told bUSiness Chile<\/em>. \u201cOther advantages are tariff convergence, free movement of businesspeople, and the possibility of university exchange programs. So, we\u2019re not limiting ourselves to mere commercial issues in this negotiation – we\u2019re going a step further,\u201d says Contreras.<\/p>\n Although the United States was not invited to join the initiative, US companies still stand to gain, according to the US Chamber of Commerce\u2019s senior director for the Americas, Patrick Kilbride.<\/p>\n \u201cUS companies invested in the region can benefit from the efficiencies and the networks established by the Pacific Alliance,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom a broader policy perspective, though, we regret that the United States did not take a more active role. It was frustrating to see the FTAA not brought to fruition, but some of the countries engaged in the Pacific Arch, and ultimately the ones that were ready to move forward, formed the Alliance. Those that did not will have to catch up later,\u201d says Kilbride.<\/p>\n Apart from Costa Rica and Panama, the members of the Pacific Arch not included in the Alliance are Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.<\/p>\n As for the founding members, Contreras explains that Chile, Peru, Colombia and Mexico will implement the agreement in two stages. The first will strengthen the trade agreements already in place (Chile, for instance, is close to achieving a zero tariff zone with Colombia and Peru). The second will interconnect the existing bilateral accords between the four countries and add additional steps, such as making it easier for business travelers to move around the Alliance, facilitating student exchanges, and integrating electronic markets. All in all, though, the biggest takeaway for the newly minted Pacific Alliance members is the knowledge that they are not alone. \u201cThere\u2019s a feeling of strength when you go before a third party as an association of at least four countries, instead of negotiating individually,\u201d says Contreras.<\/p>\n Bound for Asia <\/strong><\/p>\n The naming of the Pacific Alliance is no accident. It is focused on expanding trade across the Pacific with Asia, where the four countries exported a combined US$71 billion worth of goods and services last year, registering an annual average growth of 13% between 2007 and 2011. <\/p>\n Together, Chile, Peru, Colombia and Mexico aim to negotiate better terms of trade and investment with their Asian partners. \u201cThe Asia-Pacific region is not just the world of the future, but the world of the present,\u201d said President Pi\u00f1era at the Paranal ceremony.<\/p>\n As part of its strategic interest in the Asia-Pacific region, Chile is involved in ongoing negotiations to widen its Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement. Chile was a founding member of the trade pact, previously known as P4, when it came into force in 2006 along with Brunei, New Zealand and Singapore. Now the United States and other countries are keen to join the agreement which is seen as a vehicle for trade liberalization across the Asia-Pacific region.<\/p>\n But considering that China has not expressed interest in joining the TPP, not everyone thinks Chile\u2019s participation is a good move.<\/p>\n \u201cFor South America today, it\u2019s more important that the Chinese economy grows a percentage point than a one-point growth in the US economy,\u201d says Osvaldo Rosales, head of the International Trade and Integration Division at the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). \u201cIf China is the pretty girl at the party, then is the TPP the best way to get to her? I have serious doubts,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n According to Rosales, China is waiting for a collective response from Latin American countries about how they want to relate to the new engine of the global economy, and the Pacific Alliance is a positive step in this regard.<\/p>\n Yet despite all the talk about China, which has overtaken the United States as Chile\u2019s largest export market mainly due to its demand for copper, the US Chamber of Commerce\u2019s Kilbride believes that the United States has a healthier relationship with Chile and the rest of the Pacific Alliance countries.<\/p>\n \u201cChile has a more diverse trade relationship with us, one that involves many different sectors of its economy and is more resilient and sustainable over time – it\u2019s not susceptible to commodity price shocks.\u201d<\/p>\n Market integration and investment<\/strong><\/p>\n The four countries have already increased integration in areas such as electronic markets, scientific research, export promotion and tariff elimination.<\/p>\n In May last year, the stock exchanges of Chile, Colombia and Peru launched the Integrated Latin American Market (MILA by its Spanish acronym), creating the first private cross-trading platform in the region.<\/p>\n Although MILA started off slow, with modest trading volume, the potential addition of the Mexican BMV Exchange in 2013, and perhaps Brazil\u2019s BM&F Bovespa further down the road, could turn it into a global financial player.<\/p>\n And Foreign Direct Investment in the region is growing. The World Investment Report, prepared by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), shows that last year Latin America and the Caribbean received 34.6% of total Foreign Direct Investment in the world, for a total of US$216.4 billion.<\/p>\n Colombia was fifth in the global ranking of FDI growth and first in the region last year with US$14.4 billion, an increase of 113.4% from 2010. Chile grew by 16.4% in 2011, while FDI in Peru rose 7.4%.<\/p>\n \u201cInvestors have been looking for an Andean framework for some time,\u201d says Hedmond R\u00edos, an economist at Chilean broker Celfin Capital. \u201cAn agreement of this kind can lubricate the economic policies among these countries, increase legal certainty for operators and traders, and reduce interest rates, all of which favors investment and has a potent effect on capital.\u201d The business community is doing its part to move the Pacific Alliance forward and private sector representatives from the four countries held a parallel summit during the meeting at the Paranal Observatory.<\/p>\n From the vantage point of government officials and businesspeople, high up in the Atacama Desert, the Pacific Alliance sails west with the wind on its back. But ECLAC\u2019s Rosales, who advised some of the governments during the Pacific Arch negotiations and pushed to no avail for a regional free trade agreement, fears it could all amount to little more than a photo opportunity.<\/p>\n \u201cTime and lots of gray hairs teach you that there\u2019s a huge gap between the headlines and the real content of an agreement,\u201d says Rosales. \u201cFor now, until we see results, it\u2019s just good intentions.\u201d<\/p>\n Sebasti\u00e1n P\u00e9rez-Ferreiro is a freelance journalist based in Santiago<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" <\/p>\n El ex presidente de Per\u00fa Alan Garc\u00eda denomin\u00f3 al Pac\u00edfico el \u201coc\u00e9ano del futuro\u201d. No es dif\u00edcil ver por qu\u00e9: al otro lado de este se encuentra Asia, un vasto y muy poblado socio comercial hambriento de bienes b\u00e1sicos que se producen en Am\u00e9rica Latina. Sin embargo, como destac\u00f3 Garc\u00eda, Per\u00fa, Chile, Colombia y M\u00e9xico est\u00e1n mejor posicionados para abordar este enorme mercado si se unen.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n El ex presidente de Per\u00fa Alan Garc\u00eda denomin\u00f3 al Pac\u00edfico el \u201coc\u00e9ano del futuro\u201d. No es dif\u00edcil ver por qu\u00e9: al otro lado de este se encuentra Asia, un vasto y muy poblado socio comercial hambriento de bienes b\u00e1sicos que se producen en Am\u00e9rica Latina. Sin embargo, como destac\u00f3 Garc\u00eda, Per\u00fa, Chile, Colombia y M\u00e9xico est\u00e1n mejor posicionados para abordar este enorme mercado si se unen.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"","news_tax":[],"user_type":[],"class_list":["post-4806","news","type-news","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"\/sites\/default\/files\/Rodrigo_Contreras.jpg\")
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