In the margins of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) held on 3rd and 4th September 2018 in Beijing, China, Mauritius and China signed six agreements to consolidate their bilateral relations.

These included a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to mark the conclusion of negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement which began in December 2017. The FTA will be signed after both sides complete their respective internal processes.

The free trade agreement will not only expand economic and trade exchanges between Mauritius and China; moreover, being the first free trade agreement between China and an African country, it will also accentuate Mauritius’ positioning as a gateway between China and Africa.

The other agreements signed to further strengthen cooperation between Mauritius and China pertain to economic and technical cooperation, mutual legal assistance, extradition, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and an MOU with the China Foreign Affairs University and the China Diplomatic Academy.