Officials from China and Nicaragua signed the early harvest arrangements for a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) on Tuesday, China’s Ministry of Commerce said. 

China's Commerce Minister Wang Wentao and Nicaraguan Foreign Minister Denis Moncada signed the agreements via video link.

The two officials also announced the beginning of FTA negotiations.

On the same day, Wang and Laureano Ortega Murillo, adviser to the Nicaraguan president, signed a memorandum of understanding to officially establish an economic and trade cooperation mechanism between the two governments.

The signing of the early harvest arrangements, together with the beginning of FTA negotiations, is an important outcome in bilateral economic and trade cooperation since the two countries resumed diplomatic relations, Wang said. 

Trade between China and Nicaragua rose despite pressure in the first five months of 2022, with Nicaragua's exports to China experiencing a year-on-year increase of 128.9 percent, Wang added.

Global Times - Xinhua