Chinese President Jiang Zemin pays a state visit on April 5-7 to Chile, the first leg of his Latin- America tour, which will take him also to Argentina, Uruguay, Cuba, Venezuela and Brazil.

The following are major events in Sino- Chilean relations since 1970:

December 15, 1970 - China and Chile established diplomatic relations.

May 1990 - Chinese President Yang Shangkun paid a state visit to Chile, during which the two countries signed a memorandum on cooperation in plant quarantine.

November 13-17, 1992 - Chilean President Patricio Aylwin paid a visit to China, the first one by a Chilean President to China in history.

April 12-16, 1994 - Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Chi Haotian visited the Latin American nation.

November 14, 1994 - Jiang met with his Chilean counterpart, Eduardo Frei, at the 2nd informal APEC Economic leaders' meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia.

November 23-27, 1995 - Frei visited China. Four agreements on promoting bilateral economic cooperation and trade ties were signed.

November 28, 1995 - Tongling of China's Anhui province and Chile's Antofagasta began to become sister cities, the first of such kind since 1970.

January 29 - February 1, 1996 - Chinese Vice Premier Zhu Rongji paid a good-well visit to Chile.

November 6-7, 1996 - Chinese Premier Li Peng paid an official visit to Chile. The two counties signed a number of important documents on cooperation in space and agriculture.

May 14, 1997 - A Chinese government economic and trade delegation headed by Chinese Vice-Premier Li Lanqing arrived in Chile's capital of Santiago for a 24-hour official visit to promote economic and trade cooperation.

November 24, 1997 - Jiang met with Frei in Vancouver, Canada, at the 5th informal APEC Economic leaders' meeting.

December 30, 1997 - The Chinese consulate-general in Iquique of Chile was opened.

May 6-9, 1998 - Chilean Foreign Minister Jose Miguel Insulza visited China and met with Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji.

November 16, 1998 - Jiang met with Frei, at the 6th informal APEC Economic leaders' meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

November 2, 1999 - Chilean Deputy Foreign Minister Mariano Fernandez visited China. China and Chile signed an agreement on market access concerning China's bid to join the World Trade Organization (WTO). Chile is the first Latin American country to conclude bilateral WTO talks with China.

September 24-26, 2000 - Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan visited Chile for promoted bilateral ties.

(Xinhua 04/04/2001)