Key Agreements Signed Between The Maldives And China

On Sunday, key agreements in prominent areas of development such as infrastructure and health were signed between the government of Maldives and the Government of China as part of the official visit of the Vice Chairman of the Chinee International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA), His Excellency Deng Boqing. The signing ceremony was witnessed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Maldives, His Excellency Abdulla Shahid and the Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to the Republic of Maldives, Her Excellency Wang Lixin.

Among the agreements signed yesterday, includes a ‘Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) Between China International Development Corporation Agency of the Government of the People’s Republic of China and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Maldives on Development Cooperation Plan (2023-2025)’. The agreement was signed on behalf of the Maldives by Foreign Secretary, His Excellency Ahmed Latheef.

This agreement will focus on promoting cooperation and collaboration in many areas including health care, climate change, infrastructure, agriculture, people-to-people exchanges and disaster prevention and reduction. It will also promote the social and economic development of the Maldives, improving the lives and livelihoods of the people of Maldives.

Three Letters of Exchange were also signed between different government ministries of the Maldives and the Chinese Government. This included ‘Letters of Exchange on the Feasibility Study on Hospitals in Maldives’ signed on behalf of the Maldives by Minister of State for Health, Ahmed Adil, ‘Letters of Exchange on Renovation of the Maldives National Museum’ signed by Minister of State for Arts, Culture and Heritage, Mohamed Thoriq on behalf of the Government of Maldives.

Lastly, a ‘Letters of Exchange on the Maintenance of the China-Maldives Friendship’ was also signed on behalf of the Maldivian government by Minister of State for National Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, Akram Kamaludddin.

Speaking at the Signing Ceremony that was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Minister Shahid reiterated the close relations the Maldives presently enjoys with China and thanked the Chinese Government for their kind 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 Maldivian people.