Press Release
13 January 2024
President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has stated that China will provide 920 million Chinese yuan (approximately MVR 2 billion) in free aid to the Maldives. He made the remarks while speaking to reporters at Velana International Airport (VIA) upon his return to the Maldives after concluding his state visit to the People’s Republic of China today.
The President declared that the funds would be utilised to redevelop roads in Malé City. He highlighted additional agreements signed between China and the Maldives, including the agreements to build 30,000 social housing units in Ras Malé, the recently announced expansion project of VIA, and the project signed with a Chinese company to construct a commercial district comprising seven spine buildings in Hulhumalé Phase II. The President noted other agreements signed with the nation.
The President additionally emphasised that high-level deliberations between the two countries would ease the loan repayment schedule for the multiple loans owed to China.
A delegation of senior government officials accompanied the President and the First Lady on their state visit to China from the 7th to the 13th of this month.
President Dr Mohamed Muizzu corroborated that the longstanding China-Maldives relations are built upon an exemplary model of mutual respect. He made the remarks while speaking to reporters at Velana International Airport (VIA) upon his return to the Maldives after concluding his state visit to the People’s Republic of China today.
The President stated that China-Maldives relations are based upon four principles: mutual respect, sovereign equality, territorial integrity, and non-interference in internal matters.
President Dr Muizzu additionally remarked that China respects the territorial sovereignty of the Maldives just as the Maldives fully accept China’s One China policy. In this regard, the President noted that despite the small size of the Maldivian islands, the Maldives occupies one of the most substantial shares of the Indian Ocean in terms of Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Emphasising that no one country owns the ocean, and with this significant share, he reiterated that the Maldives is an independent and sovereign state.
The President additionally noted that the Maldives’ ties with all countries are based on the aforementioned four principles.