The joint opposition parties have decided to hold demonstrations against the government’s planned free trade agreement with China.

The first of these demonstrations is to be held on Sunday night, at a Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) camp in capital city Malé.

Local economists have also spoken out about the agreement, and how it could possibly be detrimental to local smaller businesses.

The Maldives Trade Union on Saturday likening the agreement to one made with India’s ‘vora’ trade in the 1970s, which according to them ‘cleansed domestic markets of Maldivian merchants’.

READ MORE: Maldives Trade Union expresses concern over free trade agreement with China

The union said that the traders had essentially pushed out local merchants and monopolized local markets, until the government -- with much effort -- were able to terminate the agreement.

The union also made the argument that such agreements only work between countries that have similar economic conditions.