China and Australia are expected to sign a landmark free trade agreement in the second quarter of this year and implement it from the fourth quarter onwards, an Australian official said on Wednesday.

Both nations concluded the FTA talks in November and are expected to sign an agreement after completing the legal review and translation of the text, said Lachlan Crews, economic counselor of the Australian embassy in China.

After the necessary domestic formalities are completed, the two nations will work on the diplomatic measures that are necessary to implement the agreement, he said, adding that a suitable date for implementation would be fixed subsequently.