In light of the concluding year, Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid met with Chinese Ambassador to Maldives Zhang Lizhong and Indian High Commissioner to Maldives Sunjay Sudhir on Tuesday.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Finance Ibrahim Ameer also participated in the meeting held with Chinese Ambassador Zhang on Monday, where both parties discussed the financial situation of Maldives amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Further, Minister Shahid noted China's importance as a "friend" of the nation and for overcoming the economic repercussions of the pandemic.
As the end of the year approaches, work on the number of small and large projects continues! High Commissioner Sudir and I took stock of the progress to date, and discussed ways to further accelerate implementation. #MaldivesIndiaPartnership pic.twitter.com/sXo1Lfw0Uz
— Abdulla Shahid (@abdulla_shahid) December 1, 2020
During the meeting with High Commissioner Sunjay, Minister Shahid discussed ongoing initiatives in the country, as well as ways to accelerate the implementation of development projects.
Lately, internal tensions have soared over Maldives' growing ties with India. The opposition has remained staunchly critical of the incumbent administration for their bilateral relations with India, often touting a threat to the country's sovereignty and religious unity.
Across former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom's leadership, his administration had favoured foreign relations with India's regional rival China, and across the five years, demonstrated a severe separation of Maldives' historical kinship with India.
Notably, the current Parliament Speaker and former president, Mohamed Nasheed, has been highly critical of the Yameen's administration's close ties with China, claiming that the Asian giant would lead Maldives into a debt trap. Chinese Ambassador Zhang continues to refute the debt trap claims, further assuring that Maldives-China ties would not hinder the island nation's relations with other countries.
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