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China-Maldives relations to grow in leaps through trade, investment, says president

(Xinhua)    20:13, August 15, 2014
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COLOMBO, Aug. 15 -- Maldives President Abdulla Yameen is upbeat about expanding already positive engagement with China and will focus on greater trade and investment relations during his upcoming visit to China.

Yameen will visit Nanjing, China, to attend the opening ceremony of the 2nd Youth Olympic Games at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Prior to his tour, Yameen said Thursday that the visit would focus on the specific sectors that would bring mutual benefits to both countries.

A third of the 1.125 million visitors to the Maldives last year were Chinese. A staggering 94 percent of them were first-time visitors to the Maldives, while half of them came for rest and relaxation, according to the president.

"I am confident that with improved air transport connectivity and further marketing efforts in Chinese cities, the Maldives will continue to be a favored destination among Chinese holidaymakers. My vision is to increase the number of Chinese travelers to the Maldives to at least 2 million in the years ahead,"he said during an exclusive interview with Xinhua.

Yameen said a Special Economic Zone would be established in the Maldives under his administration and 50 new resorts would also be built within the next five years. Investment in selective government infrastructure project will be expanded, most of which have attracted attention from Chinese companies, he added.

The projects include developing the main international airport in Male, building a bridge connecting Male with nearby Hulhule island and constructing an iconic youth city with a new national stadium as well as power generation solutions for the capital and outlying islands.

In addition, the Maldives government is targeting oil and gas exploration with preliminary studies being carried out. "The government wishes to open the opportunity to undertake a more extensive survey to explore the potential of oil and gas reserves in the country,"he said.

In global diplomacy, the Maldives and China share common core values on peace and bilateral cooperation.

"Our positions at the UN and other key multilateral forums highlight the close cooperation between our two countries. Sino- Maldives ties have grown from strength to strength in recent decades, including high-level exchanges and mutual cooperation pacts to sustain regular exchanges,"the president said.

Additional agreements promoting relations between the two countries will be inked during Yameen's visit.

The link to China's maritime Silk Route is through the Ihavandhippolhu Integrated Development Project, or iHavan, in the northernmost atoll of the Maldives. The design of the project seeks to capitalize on the location of the atoll, which lies on the seven degree channel through which the main East-West shipping routes connecting South-East Asia and China to the Middle East and Europe. "A transshipment port in Ihavandhippolhu stands ready to benefit from the growing trade volumes passing through the region in the wake of strong growth in China and India."

Export processing zones established in iHavan can enjoy duty free access to the South Asian region with a population base of approximately 1.7 billion people, through the South Asian Free Trade Arrangement (SAFTA).

The unrivalled natural beauty of the island geography in the region has huge potential for high-end real estate and tourism development, Yameen assured.Involvement in these varied sectors will undoubtedly boost relations between China and Maldives, he added. 

(Editor:Huang Jin、Bianji)

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