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The First Mauritius-China Free Trade Agreement (FTA) Joint Commission Meeting was held on 30 August 2023 at the Caudan Arts Centre, in Port Louis.

The FTA Joint Commission aims at ensuring the effective operation and implementation of the Agreement and any other agreement or legal instrument concluded or to be concluded under the Agreement. The Mauritius-China FTA was signed on 17 October 2019 in Beijing China and came into force on 1 January 2021.

The FTA covers some 8,547 Chinese tariff lines and 6,375 Mauritian tariff lines, namely in goods, trade in goods, trade in services, investment, economic cooperation, dispute settlement, electronic commerce, competition policy, intellectual property rights, technical barriers to trade, sanitary and phytosanitary measures and legal provisions.

The Chinese delegation was led by the Director of the Department of the World Trade Organisation Affairs, Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China, Mr Han Yong; and the Mauritian side by the Director Trade Policy, International Trade Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, Dr Narainduth Boodhoo.

Both parties underscored the importance of organising this meeting to take stock of the outcomes of the FTA since the last three years and to prepare for a better future.

Dr. N. Boodhoo highlighted that  priority sectors such as blue economy and renewable energy have been included in the FTA with the aim of creating the right economic system. He dwelt on the importance of investment and economic cooperation while underlying the need to implement the FTA so as to unlock the potential for development for other countries.

Mr Han Hong said that the implementation of the FTA will bring fruitful results, new opportunities and inject new impetus in the growth of bilateral trade and economic cooperation between both countries.

The Rules of Procedure were also signed by Dr. N. Boodhoo and Mr Han Yong.

The meeting was attended by the Ambassador of the Republic of Mauritius to the People’s Republic of China, Mr Alain Wong, the Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to the Republic of Mauritius, Mr Liying Zhu; the Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Mr J. Nayeck, and representatives of the private sector including the MCCI.

Source: GIS
Legend:  Mr Han Hong and Dr. N. Boodhoo during the signing of the Rules of Procedure at the official launching of the meeting.