Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid has stated the Government of Maldives wishes to work more closely with the Government of China on mutually beneficial projects this year. The minister made the statement in response to a tweet posted by the Ambassador of China to Maldives Zhang Lizhong on the establishment of the new eye-centre funded by the Chinese government.
Foreign Minister Shahid said the eye centre is yet another positive development in the Maldives-China relationship. He said the administration looks forward to working even more closely with the Chinese government this year on mutually beneficial projects.
In his tweet, the foreign minister also welcomed Dr. Weirong Chen, who leads the medical team preparing the set-up of the new eye-centre in Hulhumale. Dr. Chen is a globally recognized specialist in the eye-care field with more than 30 years of experience in ophthalmology, as described by Ambassador Zhang.
The eye-centre is the first of its kind to be established in Maldives. The centre will provide diagnosis and treatment of cataract, glaucoma, ocular surface diseases, vitrous and retinal diseases as well as refractive error. The ophthalmic surgical and examination instruments, medical consumables and ophthalmic medicines are donated by the Chinese government.
While Foreign Minister Shahid expressed desire to work more closely with China this year, two Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) and one agreement had been signed between the two countries during the foreign minister’s official visit to China in September 2019. The MoUs were signed on strengthening cooperation between the foreign ministries of the two countries and enhancing sports cooperation between the General Administration of Sport of China and the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment of Maldives. Meanwhile, the agreement was signed on providing economic and technical cooperation to facilitate grant assistance between the governments of Maldives and China.