SANTIAGO, Jan. 24 (Xinhua ) -- Chile aims to consolidate the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum as the leading mechanism for spurring free trade in the region, Chilean officials said Thursday.

As a host country of the APEC 2019, Chile hopes to strengthen its own standing as a champion of free trade, said Mathias Francke, chair of the Senior Officials of APEC, who briefed reporters on the bloc's upcoming gathering.

"Our objective will be focused on positioning Chile at the vanguard in the area of the digital economy, trade in services, the mobility of people, SMBs (small and medium-size businesses) and their insertion into the global economy, among other things, areas that are fundamental to trade in the 21st century," said Francke.

Chilean Foreign Affairs Minister Roberto Ampuero said that Chile's role as the rotating president of APEC this year gives the country a chance to showcase its cultural, social and geographical wealth.

"In addition to leading the agenda and tabling the latest topics that will influence trade over the coming decades, we are thinking of the benefit to our citizens as we look to inclusive, comprehensive and sustainable development," said Ampuero.

Chile has benefited from the close economic and technical cooperation, and regional economic integration that APEC offers, he said.

APEC was founded in 1989 with an aim to drive economic growth by promoting cooperation, free trade and investment among the economies that lie along the Pacific.

Chile, which previously hosted the APEC forum in 2004, expects to receive around 20,000 delegates from the bloc's 21 members and host about 200 meetings.