The governments of the Maldives and China have signed five key bilateral agreements, including agreements on mutual visa exemption and the extension of grant aid worth USD 63 million. The agreements were signed as part of the ongoing visit of State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs of China Wang Yi to the Maldives.
The agreements that were signed during the visit include the agreement on mutual visa exemption between the Maldives and China, which will allow Maldivians to travel to China on a 30-day visa free basis, once the pandemic restrictions have been lifted. The two countries also signed the agreement on economic and technical cooperation through grant aid focusing on development of key areas such as social, livelihood, and infrastructure projects. Both these agreements were signed by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ahmed Khaleel on behalf of the Maldives.
Minister of National Planning, Housing and Infrastructure Mohamed Aslam signed on behalf of the Maldives, a letter of exchange on the feasibility study of management and maintenance of the China-Maldives Friendship Bridge. Minister of State for National Planning, Housing and Infrastructure Akram Kamauludeen also signed a supplementary contract to the implementation contract for China Aided Micro-Grid Sea-water Desalination Project in the Maldives. Finally, Minister of Health Ahmed Naseem signed an agreement on establishing a hospital assistance and cooperation programme between the Ministry of Health of the Maldives and the National Health Commission of China.
Following the signing of the agreements, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated the agreements will directly benefit the people of the Maldives, improving their quality of health services, providing additional outlets for sea water desalination, and by assisting the government with the maintenance of the flagship China-Maldives Friendship Bridge.