Georgia and China have signed a Free Trade Agreement. After it enters into force, 94 percent of Georgian products will be exempted from customs duties in China, Imedinews reports, citing the Georgian government.

Georgia is the first country in the region to sign an FTA with China. This will open over a 1.4 billion consumer market for Georgian goods.

The talks on the FTA between Georgia and China were launched on 10 December 2015. The memorandum on completing the talks—which were held in unprecedentedly short period of 7 months— was signed in Tbilisi on 5 October 2016.

Georgia and China have been actively trading for many years. China is among the four key partners of Georgia, which exports copper ore and concentrates, alcohol, including Georgian wine to the country. In fact, Georgian wine shops are gradually gaining popularity in China.