The governments of Maldives and China are to hold bilateral talks at the level of Director-General on Thursday.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, discussions will centre around enhancing of bilateral ties across mutual areas of cooperation, with a focus on the two countries' respective situations amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, as well as actions towards economic recovery including tourism cooperation and international travel.
The topics will also touch on possible areas to enhance cooperation at the multilateral level.
The Maldivian delegation will be led by Amin Javed Faizal, the Additional Secretary at the foreign ministry, while Chen Song, the Deputy Director General at the Asian Affairs Department of the Chinese foreign ministry, will head the Chinese delegation.
"The Government of Maldives is keen on continuing its bilateral dialogue with its developmental partners as the country embarks on a path of resilience and recovery following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic", said the foreign ministry in its statement announcing the talks.
"It seeks to add momentum to its economic recovery efforts, especially on the resumption of tourism where China was the largest market prior to the outbreak of COVID-19 in the Maldives".
Notably, China was among the first countries to extend relief aid to Maldives amid the pandemic, with donations from both the government and Chinese companies.
The foreign ministry further highlighted that Maldives-China bilateral discussions are held regularly, with the most recent talks in July this year.
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