Mauritius-China FTA

Mauritius-China Free Trade Agreement (FTA)

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The Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between The Government of the Republic of Mauritius and The Government of the People's Republic of China was signed in October 2019 in Beijing.

Following the completion of ratification procedures by both sides, the Mauritius-China FTA entered into force on Friday 01 January 2021.

The FTA comprises of four main components which pertain to trade in goods, trade in services, investment and economic cooperation. The Agreement achieves the goal of mutually beneficial outcomes.

With regard to trade in goods, upon entry into force of the Mauritius-China FTA, Mauritius would benefit from immediate duty free access on the Chinese market on some 7,504 tariff lines. Tariffs on an additional 723 tariff lines will be phased out over a 5 to 7-year period starting on 01 January 2021. In addition, 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.

RULES OF ORIGIN

Except as otherwise provided, the following goods shall be considered as originating in Mauritius:

  • goods wholly obtained or produced in Mauritius as defined below (Goods considered as wholly obtained or produced in Mauritius);
  • goods produced in Mauritius exclusively from originating materials; or
  • goods produced from non-originating materials in Mauritius, provided that the goods conform to a regional value content of no less than 40%, except for the goods listed in the Annex II (Product Specific Rules of Origin) which must comply with the requirements specified therein

Goods considered as wholly obtained or produced in Mauritius

The following goods shall be considered as wholly obtained or produced in Mauritius:

  • live animals born and raised in Mauritius
  • goods obtained from live animals referred to in paragraph (a) above;
  • plant and plant products grown, and harvested, picked or gathered in Mauritius;
  • goods obtained from hunting, trapping, fishing, aquaculture, gathering or capturing conducted in Mauritius;
  • minerals and other naturally occurring substances not included in paragraphs (a) through (d) above, extracted or taken from its soil, waters, seabed or subsoil beneath the seabed;
  • goods extracted from the waters, seabed or subsoil beneath the seabed outside the territorial waters of Mauritius, provided that Mauritius has the right to exploit such waters, seabed or subsoil beneath the seabed in accordance with international law and its domestic law;
  • goods of sea fishing and other marine products taken from the sea outside the territorial waters of a Party (Mauritius or China) by a vessel registered in a Party (Mauritius or China) and flying the flag of that Party (Mauritius or China);
  • goods processed or made on board factory ships registered in a Party (Mauritius or China) and flying the flag of that Party (Mauritius or China), exclusively from goods referred to in paragraph (g) above
  • scrap and waste derived from processing operations in Mauritius, which fit only for the recovery of raw materials;
  • used goods consumed and collected in Mauritius which fit only for the recovery of raw materials; or
  • goods produced entirely in Mauritius exclusively from the goods referred to in paragraphs (a) to (j) above.

CERTIFICATE OF ORIGIN

A Certificate of Origin shall be issued by the Customs Department of the Mauritius Revenue Authority on application by exporter or producer, provided that the goods can be considered as originating in Mauritius. The contact details of the Mauritius Revenue Authority Customs Department are as follows:

Mauritius Revenue Authority
Customs Department,
Customs House
Mer Rouge
Port Louis
Tel: +230 202 0500
Email: customs@mra.mu; origin.customs@mra.mu

TRADE IN SERVICES

With respect to trade in services, both parties have agreed to remove restrictions in more than 100 service sectors. These include 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 will provide more solid institutional guarantee for deepening economic and trade relations between the two countries.

Useful documents

Doc 1 Mauritius-China FTA Text; Doc 2 Annex I Part 1 General Notes - Referred to in Chapter 2 of MUS-CH FTA Text (Trade in Goods); Doc 3 Annex I Part 2 Section A Notes for Mauritius - Referred to in Chapter 2 of MUS-CH FTA Text (Trade in Goods); Doc 4 Section B Schedule of Mauritius (Trade in Goods); Doc 5 Section A Notes for Schedule of the People's Republic of China (Trade in Goods); Doc 6 Section B Schedule of the People's Republic of China (Trade in Goods); Doc 7 Product Specific Rules of Origin (Annex II); Doc 8 Part A Schedule of Specific Commitments of the Republic of Mauritius (Trade in Services); Doc 9 Part B Schedule of Specific Commitments of the People's Republic of China (Trade in Services).

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