The World Economic Forum posted on 15 February 2021 an analysis titled "Here's Why China's Trade Deal with Mauritius Matters" by Lauren Johnston, SOAS China Institute, and Marc Lanteigne, The Arctic University of Norway.
The China-Mauritius free trade agreement is a first between China and an African state. China's small-state-first trade diplomacy appears to reflect a preference for a "side door" and small-scale experimental approach to what is ultimately intended as a regional trade policy. This way, China gains experience in understanding the regional "rules of the road" and incrementally builds up a brand as an effective trade partner in the region.
