China hopes to start trade and investment negotiations with the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) as early as possible, the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said.

The talks will be significant to the Silk Road Economic Belt and China-EEU ties, which boast huge potential thanks to the two sides' high political mutual trust and solid economic cooperation, the MOC said in an online statement.

The EEU members agreed to initiate the talks at a recent conference in Astana, capital of Kazakhstan.

The economic union was established by Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia in 2014 and came into force in 2015.

(Xinhua News Agency June 1, 2016)