On December 12, during the MC11, Vice Minister of Commerce Wang Shouwen and Mauritius’ ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the United Nations Office in Geneva Dhalladoo signed the Memorandum of Understanding on Launching China-Mauritius FTA Negotiations between the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade of the Republic of Mauritius, marking the official initiation of China-Mauritius FTA negotiations.

China is Mauritius’ second largest trading partner and largest source of imports. In November 2016, China and Mauritius announced to launch the FTA Joint Feasibility Study which becomes the first joint feasibility study China has ever launched with an African country. The study showed that signing the FTA is in line with both the interests of China and Mauritius and will help further deepen the bilateral trade and economic relations between China and Mauritius.

As China’s first free trade area with an African country, the completed China-Mauritius free trade area will not only help further expand the bilateral trade and investment exchanges between China and Mauritius, and will inject fresh momentum to the transformation and upgrade of the relationship between China and Africa and promote the Belt and Road Initiative in Africa.