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  1. Negotiations

China

China actively seeks bilateral trade and investment deals outside of the World Trade Organisation. The government has put priority on forging agreements with neighbouring countries of Asia, but also many other countries on whom it relies for minerals, energy, food, infrastructure or geopolitical support.

Beijing has signed bilateral trade agreements with ASEAN (2002), Hong Kong (2002), Macau (2003), Thailand (2003), Niger (2005), Chile (2006), Pakistan (2006), New Zealand (2008), Peru (2008), Singapore (2008), Costa Rica (2010), Taiwan (2010), Switzerland (2013), Iceland (2014), Australia (2015), Korea (2015), Georgia (2017), Maldives (2017) and the Eurasian Economic Union (2018). China is also a party to 127 bilateral investment treaties.

China is currently in bilateral negotiations with the European Union (investment), the Gulf Cooperation Council, Israel, Mauritius, Moldova, New Zealand (to upgrade the current agreement), Norway, Pakistan (upgrade), Singapore (upgrade), the Southern African Customs Union and Sri Lanka, as well as with Japan and Korea for a possible a three-way deal. Further down the horizon, there is talk of eventual negotiations with Canada, Chile (upgrade), Colombia, Fiji, Mexico, Mongolia, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Palestine, Panama, Peru (upgrade), Switzerland (upgrade) and Uruguay.

Regionally, China has proposed a Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific, an initiative that would encompass the 21 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation nations, in direct rivalry with US-led projects like the Trans-Pacific Partnership. But that intitiative is currently on hold.

China is currently part of the talks on a Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). RCEP is a mega-regional trade agreement proposed by the Association of South East Asian Nations with its FTA partners : China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand.

If concluded, it would give Chinese corporations market access to India — in goods, services and investment — that it does not have through its own FTAs.

China also sees RCEP as a key element of its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), an infrastructure project meant to link Asia with Europe, passing through Africa, and with an extension to Latin America.

China is also using the BRI to push more countries to sign free trade agreements to consolidate the trade and investment leverage that the project opens up.

last update: June 2018
photo: Eddie / CC BY-ND 2.0

China and Arabic countries forge economic strategic partnership
29-Dec-2007 Macau Daily Times
The Arab world holds an important position in Chinese enterprises’ global strategies. It is predicted that China and the Gulf Cooperation Council will sign a free trade agreement soon.
Chinese premier proposes four priority fields for cooperation with Singapore
20-Nov-2007 Xinhua
The two sides should jointly promote the building of bilateral free trade area (FTA) says Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.
China, Costa Rica to begin FTA process
26-Oct-2007 China Daily
China and Costa Rica said they will conduct a feasibility study on a free trade agreement — four months after the two established formal diplomatic ties.
China, Peru launch FTA talks
11-Sep-2007 People’s Daily
Chinese President Hu Jintao met with Peruvian President Alan Garcia on Friday and the two agreed to launch bilateral free trade area (FTA) negotiations.
Switzerland and China eye possible free trade deal
9-Jul-2007
Swiss Economic Affairs Minister Doris Leuthard and Chinese Commerce Minister Bo Xilai pledged in Beijing to study the feasibility of a free trade deal.
China, Pakistan to cut tariffs
29-Jun-2007
China and Pakistan will next month begin reducing tariffs on one another’s imports, in line with the two countries’ Free Trade Agreement (FTA), according to a senior Chinese trade official.
Mainland trade pact with HK expanded
19-Jun-2007 CCTV
Mainland China is poised to expand its free trade pact with Hong Kong at the end of this month in a bid to link the two economies more closely.
China, Peru to establish free trade zone
17-May-2007 CCTV
China and Peru launched the first joint feasibility study in Beijing on building a free trade zone in the past two days, and pledged to conclude the study within three months, said Wang Xinpei, spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce on Wednesday.
Chinese leader proposes free trade deal with SKorea
11-Apr-2007 AFP
South Korea has been reluctant to rush into an FTA with China amid fears that cheap food could flood the domestic market. But South Korean officials said they would now consider starting free trade talks with China, after Seoul and Washington sealed a trade agreement last week.
Switzerland wants free trade with China
8-Apr-2007
"I will lead a large business delegation to China in June, and will try to give support so that China opens negotiations with Switzerland," Leuthard told the Neue Zuercher Zeitung am Sonntag newspaper in an interview.

    Links

  • Belt and Road Initiative and human rights
    FIDH’s webpage that aims to collect and share information regarding the human rights and environmental impacts of China’s Belt and Road Initiative projects in recipient countries across Asia.
  • China FTA Network
    Official website on China’s FTAs, maintained by MOFCOM