BEIJING — China and Norway pledged to conclude the free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations as soon as possible, according to the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) on March 12.

The two sides negotiated via video link on March 11 about issues including trade in goods, trade in services, investment, rules of origin, customs procedures and trade facilitation, and technical trade barriers.

Both sides agreed that speeding up FTA negotiations is vital to jointly fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and supporting free trade and multilateralism. The FTA will also strengthen economic and trade cooperation, restore economic growth, and maintain the global industrial and supply chain stability, said the MOC.