The Free Trade Agreement established between Maldives and China during the administration of former president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayyoom will hinder trade relations with other countries, Maldives’ Economic Minister has stated.

The Free Trade Agreement with China was approved by the Parliament in 2017 in under ten minutes during former president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayyoom's tenure. The contentious agreement was signed off after official talks between the then Maldives president and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during the former's first state visit to China in 2017. Maldives’ Finance Minister Ibrahim Ameer recently described the deal as non-existent.

Speaking on a program aired by state radio station, Economic Minister Fayyaz Ismail said the agreement should not have been signed in the first place and said the agreement was detrimental to the country’s economy.

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