This comes amid a significant number of cancellation of reservations by Indian tourists in the wake of the ongoing diplomatic tiff.
It may be mentioned here that a couple of days ago, some Maldives’ ministers had made some shockingly irresponsible observations against Narendra Modi. Their comments were in response to Modi’s video of his recent Lakshadweep trip.
In a speech on the second day of his five-day state visit to China, Muizzu referred to China as the island nation’s “closest” ally.
He praised the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects initiated by Chinese President Xi Jinping, saying that they have brought about the most significant infrastructure developments in Maldivian history.
Muizzu’s call for more Chinese tourists coincided with the signing of a USD 50 million project to develop an integrated tourism zone in the Maldives. He underlined that China was the top market for the Maldives before the COVID-19 pandemic. It may be noted that Muizzu’s government has since suspended the ministers who made those comments, in an apparent move to do some damage control. Many noted personalities belonging to that country have also condemned those statements, citing India’s historically close ties with the island country.While India remains the main source of tourism income for the Maldives (according to 2023 data), Muizzu said he was committed to diversifying the base.
He also highlighted the importance of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with China, signed in 2014 but not implemented by the succeeding administration. Muizzu emphasized the FTA’s significance in strengthening commercial ties, aiming to boost bilateral trade, particularly by increasing exports of fish products to China.
Muizzu also sought Chinese investments for various projects, including the relocation of the Male Commercial Port, Velana International Airport development, construction of additional airports, and expansion of Special Economic Zones (SEZ) during the Maldives Investment Forum.