China announced on Tuesday that it has started talks for a bilateral free trade agreement with Honduras, the Central American country, the Ministry of Commerce said in an online statement.

This move was jointly announced by Wang Wentao, Chinese Minister of Commerce, and Fredis Cerrato, minister of economic development of Honduras, via a video conference.

China and Honduras announced their consensus to engage in discussions on a bilateral free trade agreement in a joint statement released on June 12.

The launch of negotiations for the China-Honduras free trade agreement is set to enhance pragmatic cooperation in the economic and trade sectors between the two countries. It aims to provide impetus for further improving the quality and level of bilateral trade, as well as strengthening investment and cooperation across various fields, said the statement.