Government: Free-Trade Agreement won't affect foreign relations

The government has said that the Free-Trade Agreement with China will not affect the bilateral relations with the neighboring countries.

Speaking at a press conference in Sri Lanka today, the Fisheries Minister, Dr. Mohamed Shainee said that the agreement with China would bring major development to the Maldives.

Dr. Shainee said that the Maldives does have trade agreements with India and Sri Lanka as well. And the Maldives will try to establish similar agreements with European countries as well.

The Maldivian Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Mohamed Hussain Shareef (Mundhu) was also present at the press conference today and said that the Free-Trade Agreement poses no threat to the security in the Indian Ocean.

Under the Free-Trade Agreement with China, exports to China from the Maldives won't have any duty attached to them.

Responding to the allegation from the opposition claiming that the Parliament rushed the procedure to sign the Free-Trade Agreement, Mundhu said that the content in the agreement have been in the talks since 2014 and so there is no room to say it was rushed.

In an interview with Times of India, the former President Mohamed Nasheed said that the Free-Trade Agreement with China will affect the relations the Maldives have with it's neighboring countries.