The vice president, who is on an official visit to China, told Haveeru that the process of signing the agreement on the loan has been expedited. “Top Chinese officials have given me that assurance. The loan has already been approved,” the vice president said, in an interview over the phone. The loan, according to the government, is given by the Chinese Axim bank. Vice President Adheeb departed on an official visit to China on Tuesday. His visit is being made to attend a conference on China’s Maritime Silk Road initiative and to inaugurate the second Maldives Investment Forum. The vice president met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday. He has also met with the vice president of China and several business leaders, including the governor of the People’s Bank of China, president of the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and chairman of Beijing Urban Construction Group, which had been contracted to build a new runway at the Maldives’ main international airport. Development of the Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA) is a key development project undertaken by the government. The airport, an important infrastructure in the Maldives tourism-based economy, is also a defining factor in local politics as had been seen with the GMR fiasco in 2012. The government of President Mohamed Naseed had in 2010 leased the airport to Indian infrastructure giant GMR to develop and manage it. The issue of a foreign company managing one of the key assets of the country became central to the opposition protests which ultimately forced the resignation of President Nasheed on February 7, 2012. Nasheed’s successor later annulled the agreement with GMR, causing unprecedented rifts in the bilateral relations between the Maldives and its closest neighbour, India. The loan for the airport development project is one of many infrastructure projects in the Maldives being financed by China. Another key project is the Male-Hulhule bridge, which is expected to later this year.