Mauritius-China Free Trade Agreement – effective on 01 January 2021
The Government of the Republic of Mauritius and The Government of the People’s Republic of China signed the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in October 2019 in Beijing. The FTA came into force on Friday the 1st of January 2021 following the completion of the ratification procedures by both parties.
The four main components of the FTA are trading in goods, trading in services, investment and economic cooperation. The goal of the FTA is to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes for both Republics.
Regarding trading in goods, upon entry into force of the Mauritius-China FTA, Mauritius will benefit from immediate duty-free access to the Chinese market regarding 7,504 tariff lines. Phasing out of an additional 723 tariff lines will be done over a 5 to 7-year period as from 01 January 2021. Moreover, a Tariff Rate Quota for 50,000 tonnes of sugar will be implemented on a progressive basis over a period of 8 years with an initial quantity of 15,000 tonnes.
With respect to trade in services, both Republics have mutually agreed to remove restrictions in more than 100 service sectors, including financial services, telecommunications, Information and Communications Technology, professional services, construction and health services.
The Mauritius-China Free Trade Agreement is China's first FTA with an African country. It aims to provide more solid institutional guarantee for deepening economic and trade relations between the two countries.
Source: Economic Development Board