Economic Development Minister Mohamed Saeed said on Sunday that the Maldives-China free trade agreement would be signed in the first quarter of 2017.
He made the remarks before departing for Hong Kong to attend the final round of talks on the free trade agreement.
The final round of China-Maldives FTA talks which began on Monday will continue till October 2.
Minister Saeed said the final round of talks would focus on ironing out some important matters discussed during the earlier rounds.
The Minister earlier said the government was aiming to shape the free trade agreement in a way that would bring immense benefits to local businesses.
Official discussions on the proposed free trade agreement between the two countries were initiated in September 2015.
The 2nd round of talks on the agreement were held in Beijing, China earlier this year, while the 3rd round of talks were held in Male’ in May.