China, Mauritius conclude talks on free trade pact

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China and Mauritius concluded negotiations on bilateral free-trade agreement (FTA) in Beijing on Sunday, clearing the road for signing of the first free-trade zone (FTZ) between China and an African country.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the conclusion of the FTA negotiations has been signed under the witness of Chinese premier Li Keqiang and Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth, China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said in a statement on its website.

Next step, the negotiation outcomes and relevant documents will be sent for legal review to get ready for the final signing of the FTA.

The two countries officially kicked off the negotiations last December, and finally reached a package agreement last Thursday in Beijing after four rounds of formal negotiations and multiple rounds of consultations.

The negotiations covering a wide range of areas including trade in goods and service, investment and economic cooperation, are "comprehensive, high level and reciprocal", MOFCOM statement said.

This July, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged faster progress in China-Mauritius FTA talks during his state visit to Mauritius.

During the meeting with his Mauritian counterpart on Sunday, Premier Li also noted that Chinese and Mauritian economies are highly complementary with broad prospects for cooperation.

(Top photo:Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth (centre L) and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (centre R) attend a signing ceremony at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse on September 2, 2018 in Beijing, China./Reuters Photo )