Maldives and China became closer friends during a 5-day visit by Maldivian President Muizzu. They signed 20 important agreements, including one to help their tourism industries cooperate. This happened even though Muizzu’s words and the words of his ministers had upset India’s Prime Minister Modi.
Muizzu and his wife received a very special welcome in China, with red carpets and even 21 guns firing! After they talked, both leaders announced that their countries would now be even closer friends.
They signed 20 deals, mainly about tourism, protecting people from disasters, the ocean economy, and making more money from the internet. China will also give the Maldives some free money, but nobody said how much.
Some of the other deals include working together on China’s big building project called the Belt and Road Initiative, building new homes on an island called Fushidhiggaru Falhu, making factories to process fish, and fixing up roads in the capital and another island.
Muizzu likes China a lot, and this visit happened even though India was angry about things he and his ministers said about their Prime Minister. This made many Indian tourists cancel their vacations in the Maldives.
Before heading back to the Maldives on January 12th, President Muizzu will meet with China’s top leaders like Premier Li Qiang. He spent the last two days in the city of Fujian, where he asked for China’s help in bringing back more tourists to the Maldives.
Before the pandemic, China was the biggest source of tourists for the Maldives. Muizzu wants China to get that top spot again. He also praised China’s big building project called the Belt and Road Initiative, saying it helped build some of the biggest things ever in the Maldives.
News from the Maldives says they signed a deal with China for $50 million to build a fancy tourist area on an island. China sells way more to the Maldives than the Maldives sells to China – almost half a billion dollars to just $60,000!
Muizzu also met with Chinese companies at an investment event, hoping they’ll put money into 11 different projects in the Maldives.
Even though the Maldives and India had some bumpy moments over words said by officials, India is still the top visitor destination for the island nation! In 2023, over 209,000 Indian tourists flocked to the Maldives, making them the clear winner over second-place Russia (with just 209,000 visitors) and third-place China (with 187,000 visitors).
President Muizzu, even while mentioning China as a close ally and partner in development, acknowledged India’s strong presence in their tourism industry. This shows that despite recent tensions, the economic ties between the two countries remain significant.