Pakistan to sign FTA with China

Karachi: Pakistan and China will ink an agreement on Investment Protocol during President Asif Zardari's visit to China next week. Pakistan's Ambassador to China Masood Khan said that negotiation between senior officials of Ministries of Commerce of Pakistan and China had been completed on Investment Protocol to make free trade agreement (FTA) more comprehensive.

'I am fully confident that during President Zardari's state visit to China both the countries will sign agreement on it, which further push forward their economic partnership', he said. Khan pointed out that negotiations between the two countries on FTA in Trade and Services were going on successfully. 'We hope to complete that phase in the coming month of December', he added.

Ambassador Khan said Pakistan was the first country with which China had signed the FTA, adding that when the FTA was fully implemented, it would further give boost to the bilateral trade. First phase of FTA in Goods and Investment had been completed in July this year and became operational, he said.