The Maldives and China have signed key agreements on important areas such as infrastructure development and health. The agreements were signed during the visit of the Vice Chairman of the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA) Deng Boqing.
The agreements that were signed include the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between CIDCA and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Maldives on the Development Cooperation Plan 2023-2025, which will focus on promoting cooperation in such areas as health care, climate change, infrastructure, agriculture, people-to-people exchanges, and disaster prevention and reduction, promote economic and social development and improve people's lives and livelihood in the Maldives. The agreement was signed by Foreign Secretary to the Maldives Ahmed Latheef.
Additionally, Minister of State for Health Ahmed Adil signed the Letters of Exchange on the Feasibility Study on Hospitals in Maldives, Minister of State for Arts, Culture and Heritage Mohamed Thoriq signed the Letters of Exchange on Renovation of the Maldives National Museum, and Minister of State for National Planning and Infrastructure Akram Kamaluddeen signed the Letters of Exchange on the Maintenance of the China-Maldives Friendship Bridge.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid reiterated the close relations the Maldives presently enjoys with China and thanked the government for its contributions towards the socio-economic development of the Maldives. He further noted that the construction of critical infrastructure such as hospitals will have a significant impact on the daily lives of the residents of the Maldives.