Maldives President Muizzu meets Chinese counterpart Xi amid diplomatic row with India

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday held discussions with Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu during his five-day state visit. The meeting took place amid a diplomatic dispute with India, stemming from derogatory comments made by Maldivian ministers directed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi. President Muizzu received a grand welcome, complete with a red carpet and a 21-gun salute. Although official reports mentioned the talks between Xi and Muizzu, specific details were not disclosed, according to PTI. Muizzu, known for his pro-China stance, embarked on this visit to China amid tensions with India. The discord arose when some Maldivian ministers made offensive remarks about PM Modi, leading to a wave of cancellations by Indian tourists, who represent a significant portion of visitors to the tourism-dependent island nation. In addition to the discussions with President Xi, Muizzu is anticipated to meet with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and other high-ranking officials before concluding his visit and returning to Male on 12 January. Muizzu reached Beijing last night after staying in the Chinese city of Fujian for two days. In his address to the Maldives Business Forum in Fujian Province on Tuesday, Muizzu appealed to China to “intensify” efforts to send more tourists to his country. “China was our (Maldives’) number one market (for tourism) pre-Covid, and it is my request that we intensify efforts for China to regain this position,” he said. His appeal for more Chinese tourists came amid a diplomatic row with India. Muizzu’s government suspended three deputy ministers for their derogatory posts on social media. Also, the Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI) strongly condemned the derogatory comments. According to data released by the Maldives Tourism Ministry earlier, India has remained the largest tourist market for the country in 2023. The highest number of visitors to the Maldives were from India, with 209,198 arrivals, followed by Russia in second place with 209,146 arrivals, and China in third place with 187,118 arrivals. Muizzu also said that China remains “one of our closest allies and development partners.” He praised the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects launched by President Xi in 2014, saying that they “delivered the most significant infrastructure projects witnessed in Maldivian history”, according to his speech. He also said that his administration is committed to the quick implementation of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) signed with China, describing it as a symbol of the close commercial ties between the two countries. Maldives and China signed the FTA in December 2014 during the pro-China President Abdulla Yameen administration. However, his successor President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s administration did not implement the agreement, according to Maldives media reports. He said the FTA is a symbol of the close commercial ties between the two countries. “The FTA’s aim to boost bilateral trade and investments, especially increasing our export of fish products to China is a key priority for us through the FTA, he said. China-Maldives bilateral trade in 2022 totalled to USD 451.29 million of which China’s exports constituted USD 451.29 million against USD 60,000 of exports from Maldives. Muizzu also sought investments from Chinese companies for 11 projects at the Maldives Investment Forum. With inputs from agencies