After a year of negotiations, Ecuador and China finalized the final version of the free trade agreement, and vannamei shrimp and tuna were not included in the tax-free list. The free trade agreement between the two countries is expected to be signed in March 2023.

Last week, Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso said that the free trade agreement between the two countries will grant tariff relief for most Ecuadorian goods entering the Chinese market, which will promote the growth of the Latin American country's export trade.

However, under the new agreement, the tariff reduction for vannamei shrimp will not take effect immediately, and tuna exports will not receive special treatment. Shrimp products account for 70 percent of Ecuador's non-oil commodity exports to China, which imposes a provisional 2 percent tax on imported frozen vannamei shrimp.

According to Julio Jose Prado, Minister of Production of Ecuador, after the FTA comes into effect, at least 60% of Ecuador's products entering the Chinese market will enjoy zero tariffs, but at the request of Ecuador's domestic industry, tuna should not be included in the FTA , because the Ecuadorian industry is worried that Chinese fishery products may flood into the local market, bringing many risks to domestic production.