ULAN BATOR, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- Chinese and Mongolian officials announced here Thursday that the two countries have agreed to officially launch a joint feasibility study on a free trade area (FTA) next month.

When making the announcement at a joint press session with Mongolian Foreign Minister Damdin Tsogtbaatar, visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that the two sides will jointly promote free trade and resist protectionism in order to preserve global multilateral trade, which is at the core of the World Trade Organization.