China and Maldives forge stronger ties through Development Planning Seminar

A high-level seminar on "Medium- and Long-Term Development Planning: Key to National Modernization" took place today at Barceló Maldives, co-hosted by the Chinese Embassy in the Maldives and The Maldives National University (MNU). The event was praised as the first large-scale seminar of its kind since the opening of the Chinese Embassy, gathering participants from Maldivian government, business, academia, media, enterprises, and NGOs.

The seminar’s chief guest was Mohamed Saeed, Minister for Economic Development and Trade.

The seminar's goal was to explore how China and the Maldives could better align their development strategies, deepen practical cooperation, and promote integrated development.

H.E. Ambassador Kong Xianhua delivered the keynote speech, emphasizing that both nations are at a crucial stage of development and are formulating medium- and long-term plans to guide economic and social progress. He highlighted China's 70 years of experience with its Five-Year Plans, which have guided it to achieve modernization targets, including the goal of realizing socialist modernization by 2035.

The Ambassador noted the alignment between China’s plans and the Maldives’ "Resilient Maldives 2045" 20-year national development plan, which aims to make the Maldives a developed country by 2040. He proposed deepening cooperation in areas such as development planning exchanges, economic integration, and people-to-people ties.

In his speech, he emphasized China's commitment to the Maldives: “China steadfastly supports the Maldives in safeguarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and welcomes the Maldives to board the "express train" of China's development to achieve its own sustainable growth.”

In his concluding remarks, Ambassador Kong stressed three key points: the importance of national sovereignty and independence as the foundation for self-reliant development; unity and hard work as the only path to fulfilling development plans; and the essential role of youth in carrying forward the China-Maldives friendship.