President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has highlighted the vibrant bilateral relations that exist between Maldives and China and the importance of China as a development partner for Maldives. He made the remarks at a meeting held at the President's Office with the Ambassador of China to Maldives Zhang Lizhong and officials from China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC).
During the meeting, the president also emphasised continued role and assistance from China in infrastructure development in Maldives. Discussions during the meeting were focused on potential areas of cooperation, especially in the field of infrastructural development.
At the meeting, also attended by Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid and Minister of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment Ahmed Mahloof, officials from CMEC shared the proposed conceptual designs of the Olympic-standard stadium to be developed in Hulhumalé. The concept proposed by CMEC centred around the natural resources and the environment of Maldives. The new stadium is to be built in preparation to host the 11th Indian Ocean Island Games (IOIG) scheduled to be held in Maldives in 2023.