Economic Minister Mohamed Saeed has said cigarettes and tobacco cannot be imported without paying duties under the Maldives-China Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which came into force in January.

In a written response to a question by Galolhu North MP Mohamed Ibrahim, the minister said the FTA with China does not exempt duties on cigarettes and tobacco products imported into the Maldives.

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"Under the Free Trade Agreement signed with China, duties are levied on tobacco products and cigarettes. The revenue from tobacco products and cigarettes duties will depend on the amount of tobacco products and cigarettes imported from China,” Saeed stated.

The FTA with China is the Maldives' first such agreement with any country. Earlier, Saeed said 70 percent of Chinese imports will be exempted from duties, which is expected to rise to 90 percent in the future.