Ambassador of Maldives to China Mohamed Faisal has stated that the relations between Maldives and China have reached a level of maturity and depth over the past five years. The Maldivian Ambassador made the statement in an article published on an English-language Chinese newspaper, the Global Times.
Without doubt, the foundation for the deepened relationship is the historic visit by President Xi Jinping to Maldives in 2014, which was the first ever state visit by a Chinese president, according to the Maldivian Ambassador to China. What set it apart was that President Xi chose Maldives as a stop on his oversea visits in just one year of assuming office, adding that for the government and people of Maldives, this showed the confidence and trust placed by China's new leadership in Maldives, Ambassador Faisal said.
Over the past five years, China has forged a foreign policy based on mutual trust and respect for the sovereignty of all countries and win-win cooperation. One of the key global multilateral initiatives of President Xi is the Belt and Road initiative.
The Ambassador said from the very beginning, Maldives realised the importance of the initiative in terms of achieving development partnerships, noting that it is the reason that Maldives was one of the first to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Chinese government to jointly build the 21st century maritime Silk Road. He highlighted the readiness of Maldives to join the initiative reflects the trust in the current leadership of China under President Xi to bring wide ranging benefits to all countries and the desire to be part of the new multilateral partnerships being forged under the initiative.
As elaborated in May 2017, during the Belt and Road Forum by President Xi, the initiative is a foreign policy based on friendship rather than alliance, Maldivian Ambassador cited. Talking about the development projects carried out in Maldives by China, the Ambassador said that during President Xi's visit several important agreements were signed which kick started a golden period of development partnership and the work on key infrastructure projects agreed during the visit being undertaken in earnest.
“The majority of work on the China Maldives Friendship Bridge, which a vital infrastructure project that will link the capital to the international airport and the new city of Hulhumale', is now complete, Ambassador Faisal noted. Work is also underway on the new runway at Velana International Airport and also noted the efforts by Chinese firms to establish power generation plants, social housing, and resort investments in Maldives,” the Ambassador wrote on the Global Times.
Highlighting the recently concluded negotiations on a free trade agreement with China, the Maldivian Ambassador said that when signed, the agreement will contribute to the deepening of commercial ties between the two countries. Continuing on, Ambassador Faisal reiterated that China is a key partner in achieving the transformative economic agenda of President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, which aims to make Maldives an economic powerhouse in the Indian Ocean.
Over the past five years, President Yameen has made two important visits to China, where he has highlighted the strong and important development partnership with China. Furthermore, over the past five years, visitors from China have topped tourist arrival figures, with Maldives ranked top beach holiday destination and the most visited country in South Asia by Chinese tourists.
Since establishing diplomatic relations in 1972, the two countries have forged a relationship of mutual trust and benefit and win-win cooperation. Several key projects are witness to this relationship, including the Sina Male' housing projects, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building and the Maldives national museum. All these projects were executed with the generous assistance of the Chinese government. China also provided valuable assistance in the recovery efforts following the 2004 tsunami.