*A free trade agreement (FTA) between Ecuador and China has come into force, which will allow 99.6% of Ecuadorean exports to enter China tariff-free and will enable the export of new products to China. In return, tariffs will be lifted on nearly 90% of Chinese imports to Ecuador. At a ceremony to mark the occasion, Ecuador’s minister for production, foreign trade & investment, Sonsoles García, said that the FTA is expected to boost Ecuadorean exports to China by between US$3bn and US$4bn over the next few years.
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