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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 set to expand free trade network
11-Jan-2021 The Phnom Penh Post
China will step up efforts to expand its free trade area network with trading partners across the world to enlarge its “circle of friends”, while eliminating more tariffs on goods and broadening market access for services trade and investment, according to commerce minister Wang Wentao.
China-Mauritius FTA goes into effect. But who benefits?
5-Jan-2021 TRT
China’s first FTA with an African country provides a stepping stone into the continent through the geopolitical hotspot Indo-Pacific region.
China-Mauritius free-trade deal creates model for Beijing’s trade with Africa, observers say
4-Jan-2021 South China Morning Post
Deal will ‘vitalise cooperation between our two countries and strengthen China-Africa economic ties’, head of African affairs at Chinese foreign ministry says.
China FTA set for National Assembly ratification
14-Dec-2020 The Phnom Penh Post
The inter-ministerial committee in charge of Cambodia-China Free Trade Agreement (CCFTA) negotiations is preparing documents to submit to the National Assembly (NA) for a ratification and an ambitious implementation by January 1.
China vows to expand global free trade area network
27-Nov-2020 Hellenic Shipping News
China will step up efforts to expand the free trade area network across the world to enlarge its “circle of friends”, according to China’s Commerce Minister Zhong Shan.
UK undermines trust with China, may ruin FTA talks
27-Nov-2020 Global Times
The UK recently signaled an intention to reset its diplomatic relations, including with China. The UK seems inclined to take a more aggressive path towards China at a cost of obstructing a free trade agreement talks.
China’s Xi says country will speed up trade talks with EU, Japan and South Korea
4-Nov-2020 CNBC
In a major speech on Wednesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping talked up his country’s plans for playing a greater role in global trade, without mentioning ongoing tensions with the US.
Growing trade, investment flows now hallmark of BRI
3-Nov-2020 China Daily
China’s efforts to sign FTAs, double taxation agreements, multilateral/bilateral investment agreements, and information technology agreements, effectively facilitate trade and investment activities with BRI-related economies.
Building China’s Belt and Road Initiative BIT by BIT
29-Oct-2020 East Asia Forum
Rather than viewing international investment law as inherently threatening or constraining, China now sees it as a valuable instrument for protecting its investments and interests abroad.
S. Korea, China to discuss expanding bilateral FTA scope
26-Oct-2020 Yonhap News Agency
South Korea and China on Monday launched the ninth round of talks with China to bolster ties in the service and investment fields as part of their bilateral free trade agreement (FTA), which went into effect five years ago.