Your Excellency President Yameen, Friends from the Press:
Good morning! It is a pleasure meeting you today.
I would like to convey to you and through you to the Maldivian people sincere regards and best wishes from the Chinese people.
This is the first time for me to visit the beautiful and charming country of Maldives. I thank the Maldivian Government and the people for the warm hospitality.
Just now, I had a very candid and fruitful discussion with President Yameen, and witnessed the signing of a series of cooperation agreements between our two countries in the areas of foreign affairs, trade and investment, infrastructure development, and science and technology. We both agree that China and Maldives are friends who can help each other and partners who can work with each other. We have a great future ahead for our bilateral relations.
Our two sides have decided to jointly build the Future-Oriented All-Round Friendly and Cooperation Partnership between China and Maldives, and carry out wider exchanges and cooperation, so that we will bring fresh vitality to our bilateral relations. The two sides have agreed to maintain high level exchanges, and I would like to invite President Yameen to make a state visit to China at a time convenient to both sides.
Our two sides have also agreed to engage ourselves in the building of 21st century maritime silk route, and strengthen our cooperation in the areas of marine economy, maritime security, oceanic research and conservation, and disaster management. We will work hard to push some key projects, and try to launch some projects with early benefits as soon as possible.
Our two sides have agreed to establish the Joint Committee on Trade and Economic Cooperation between China and Maldives, and hold its first meeting early, so that the two sides can jointly plan our cooperation in trade, investment and major projects, and push for our cooperation particularly in the areas of infrastructure development and people’s livelihood.
China will also give positive consideration to supporting the construction of Male-Hulhule Bridge, and proposes to name it as “China-Maldives Friendship Bridge”. China will encourage more Chinese enterprises to actively engage in the economic transformation of Maldives as well as in projects like Youth City establishment, and continue to provide financing support to projects that the two sides have agreed.
China will continue to provide assistance to the social and economic agreement of Maldives as before. In order to help the Maldivian side to strengthen its capacity to address the challenge of climate change, China will provide goods assistance to the Maldives under the South-South cooperation framework, and cooperate in areas of human resources training and technologies related to energy saving and environment conservation.
Our two sides will continue to expand our cooperation in tourism, human resources, and culture. China will continue to facilitate the Maldives to expand the Chinese tourism market, support Chinese enterprises to invest in tourism industries of Maldives, and encourage more Chinese tourists to visit Maldives. China will also carry out cooperation in civil servants training and help Maldivian citizens to learn Chinese.
China always sees Maldives as its close friend and sincere partner. The Chinese side always respects the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity o f Maldives, and respect the political systems and development paths chose by the Maldivian people based on their own national condition. China will commit itself to establishing friendly and cooperative relations with Maldives based on Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. We would like to join our hands with the Maldives to further advance the development of the Future-Oriented All-Round Friendly and Cooperation Partnership between China and Maldives.
I would like to also take this chance to express my heart-felt gratitude to the warm hospitality and sound organization for my visit by President Yameen, the Maldivian Government and people, and also the friendship and kindness shown by the Maldivian people to China.
Thank you very much!