Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu appealed to China to “intensify” its efforts to send more tourists to his country, amid a spate of cancellations of reservations by Indian tourists in the wake of controversy due to the derogatory comments made by Maldive’s ministers towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
On the second-day of its five-day visit to China, Muizzu, during his address at Maldives Business Forum in Fujian Province on Tuesday, termed China as its “closest” ally.
“China remains one of our closest allies and development partners,” he said.
The president also praised the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2014. He termed the projects as one of the most significant infrastructure ever delivered in the history of Maldives.
It was also reported by Maldivian media that the two countries have entered into a deal of $50 million to develop an integrated tourism zone in the Indian Ocean island.