Beijing, a senior Maldivian minister on his maiden visit to China on Wednesday spoke of President Mohamed Muizzu's recent visit to New Delhi and India's importance to his country's tourism-dependent economy.
Economic Development and Commerce Minister Mohamed Saeed's comments came as Male appears to have refocused ties with New Delhi after President Muizzu, known for his pro-China leanings, attended Prime Minister Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony. earlier this month.
“President Muizzu reiterated that India remains our closest neighbor,” Saeed, who is attending the 15th World Economic Forum (WEF) in Dalian, told CNBC International TV in an interview. “India and Maldives have a long relationship. India is one of the most important tourist destinations for us, especially in terms of inbound tourism. There are a lot of Indian investments in the Maldives, especially in the tourism sector,” he said responding to a question on the “tense” ties between the Maldives and India.
Upon his return to Malé from New Delhi, President Muizzu described his official visit to India to attend Prime Minister Modi's swearing-in ceremony as a "significant success" for the Maldives.
Muizzu also emphasized that the strong ties between the two nations will bring prosperity to the Maldives and Maldivian citizens, and expressed optimism for a successful bilateral relationship in the future.Saeed is the first Maldivian minister to visit China after Muizzu visited Beijing in January, which made headlines because it took place in the context of his demand for the withdrawal of more than 80 Indian military personnel operating two helicopters and a Dornier aircraft gifted by India.
During that visit, he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and signed a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership with Beijing, as well as 20 agreements. Subsequently, his government also signed an agreement with the Chinese military for the free supply of "non-lethal" weapons to the Maldives.
Around the same time, prompted by controversial comments by three officials after Modi posted a photograph of the Lakshadweep Islands, dozens of Indians, including many celebrities, ran a #BoycottMaldives campaign that continues to have an impact and has seen a huge drop in the number of Indian tourists. to the archipelagic nation.According to statistics from the Maldives Ministry of Tourism, the total number of tourist arrivals in 2024 as of June 25 was 9,93,328. Of them, with 1,15,815 tourists, China, which ranked third last year, topped the list (11.7%).
They are followed by Russia with 1,02,317 (10.3 percent), the United Kingdom with 91,712 (9.2 percent), Italy with 79,287 (8.0 percent) and Germany with 77,155 (7.8 percent), while India, which was in the number 1 position, last year occupied the sixth position with only 61,770 (6.2 percent) tourists.
However, soon after New Delhi began replacing Indian military personnel with civilians, Muizzu appeared to be reorienting ties with India. In March, he announced that India “without a doubt” will remain the country’s “closest ally.” Maldives and urged New Delhi to provide debt relief.
Meanwhile, Saeed held talks with Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao on Tuesday on trade and economic cooperation outside the WEF.
The two ministers discussed accelerating preparations to implement the details of the Maldives-China Free Trade Agreement (FTA). "Saeed and Wentao discussed the establishment of a foreign exchange settlement system to improve trade exchange between the two countries." , Maldivian media reported.
“I had a constructive meeting with the Minister of Commerce of the People's Republic of China. We reflected on the meeting between President Xi Jingping and President Dr. MMuizzu and discussed options to deepen trade and investment cooperation between our two countries,” Saeed said in a post on X after the meeting.
However, there was no reference to talks between the two ministers on Maldives' requests to China to restructure debt. Last month, Chinese envoy to Maldives Wang Lixin told media in Malé that China has no plans to restructure the debt the Maldives owes to Beijing because it would prevent the Maldives from obtaining new loans.
According to official figures, as of 2023, the Maldives' external debt amounted to more than four billion dollars, of which around $1.5 billion is owed to its largest lender, China.
Observers say that without a debt restructuring, the Maldives could face a situation similar to Sri Lanka leading its sovereign default in 2022.
Economic Development and Commerce Minister Mohamed Saeed's comments came as Male appears to have refocused ties with New Delhi after President Muizzu, known for his pro-China leanings, attended Prime Minister Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony. earlier this month.
“President Muizzu reiterated that India remains our closest neighbor,” Saeed, who is attending the 15th World Economic Forum (WEF) in Dalian, told CNBC International TV in an interview. “India and Maldives have a long relationship. India is one of the most important tourist destinations for us, especially in terms of inbound tourism. There are a lot of Indian investments in the Maldives, especially in the tourism sector,” he said responding to a question on the “tense” ties between the Maldives and India.
Upon his return to Malé from New Delhi, President Muizzu described his official visit to India to attend Prime Minister Modi's swearing-in ceremony as a "significant success" for the Maldives.
Muizzu also emphasized that the strong ties between the two nations will bring prosperity to the Maldives and Maldivian citizens, and expressed optimism for a successful bilateral relationship in the future.Saeed is the first Maldivian minister to visit China after Muizzu visited Beijing in January, which made headlines because it took place in the context of his demand for the withdrawal of more than 80 Indian military personnel operating two helicopters and a Dornier aircraft gifted by India.
During that visit, he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and signed a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership with Beijing, as well as 20 agreements. Subsequently, his government also signed an agreement with the Chinese military for the free supply of "non-lethal" weapons to the Maldives.
Around the same time, prompted by controversial comments by three officials after Modi posted a photograph of the Lakshadweep Islands, dozens of Indians, including many celebrities, ran a #BoycottMaldives campaign that continues to have an impact and has seen a huge drop in the number of Indian tourists. to the archipelagic nation.According to statistics from the Maldives Ministry of Tourism, the total number of tourist arrivals in 2024 as of June 25 was 9,93,328. Of them, with 1,15,815 tourists, China, which ranked third last year, topped the list (11.7%).
They are followed by Russia with 1,02,317 (10.3 percent), the United Kingdom with 91,712 (9.2 percent), Italy with 79,287 (8.0 percent) and Germany with 77,155 (7.8 percent), while India, which was in the number 1 position, last year occupied the sixth position with only 61,770 (6.2 percent) tourists.
However, soon after New Delhi began replacing Indian military personnel with civilians, Muizzu appeared to be reorienting ties with India. In March, he announced that India “without a doubt” will remain the country’s “closest ally.” Maldives and urged New Delhi to provide debt relief.
Meanwhile, Saeed held talks with Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao on Tuesday on trade and economic cooperation outside the WEF.
The two ministers discussed accelerating preparations to implement the details of the Maldives-China Free Trade Agreement (FTA). "Saeed and Wentao discussed the establishment of a foreign exchange settlement system to improve trade exchange between the two countries." , Maldivian media reported.
“I had a constructive meeting with the Minister of Commerce of the People's Republic of China. We reflected on the meeting between President Xi Jingping and President Dr. MMuizzu and discussed options to deepen trade and investment cooperation between our two countries,” Saeed said in a post on X after the meeting.
However, there was no reference to talks between the two ministers on Maldives' requests to China to restructure debt. Last month, Chinese envoy to Maldives Wang Lixin told media in Malé that China has no plans to restructure the debt the Maldives owes to Beijing because it would prevent the Maldives from obtaining new loans.
According to official figures, as of 2023, the Maldives' external debt amounted to more than four billion dollars, of which around $1.5 billion is owed to its largest lender, China.
Observers say that without a debt restructuring, the Maldives could face a situation similar to Sri Lanka leading its sovereign default in 2022.
