China and Palestine officially kicked off talks on a free trade agreement, as the two parties signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU), according to a statement by the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) on Wednesday. 

The MOU was signed by China's vice commerce minister Qian Keming and Palestinian Minister of the National Economy Abeer Odeh, during Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan's visit to Palestine.

Both sides agreed to step up negotiations and try and reach an early agreement, MOFCOM said.

In 2017, the bilateral trade volume between China and Palestine hit 69.28 million US dollars, up 16.2 percent compared to the same period a year ago.