Under the China-Maldives Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which came into effect in January this year, cigarettes and tobacco products cannot be imported into the Maldives without paying duty, Economic Minister Mohamed Saeed has stated.
Minister Saeed made this clarification in a written response to a question from MDP MP Mohamed Ibrahim. He emphasized that the FTA with China does not provide exemptions on duties for cigarettes and tobacco products, ensuring that import levies will still apply.
The Economic Minister previously noted that under the first free trade agreement signed by the Maldives, 70 percent of Chinese imports are exempted from duties. He further stated that in the future, this percentage will increase, allowing up to 90 percent of Chinese imports to be duty-free.
Minister Saeed made this clarification in a written response to a question from MDP MP Mohamed Ibrahim. He emphasized that the FTA with China does not provide exemptions on duties for cigarettes and tobacco products, ensuring that import levies will still apply.
The Economic Minister previously noted that under the first free trade agreement signed by the Maldives, 70 percent of Chinese imports are exempted from duties. He further stated that in the future, this percentage will increase, allowing up to 90 percent of Chinese imports to be duty-free.
