Maldives, China scheduled for 7th round of bilateral talks on Tuesday

Maldives and China are scheduled for the seventh round of bilateral consultations on Tuesday, coming after a four-year gap.

The talks will be held virtually, and will be attended by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Maldives Ahmed Khaleel and Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of China Lou Zhaohui.

According to the Maldivian Foreign Ministry, the talks will focus on enhancing cooperation between Maldives and China on areas of mutual interest such as combatting the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, on economic cooperation, and on multilateral issues.

The two countries are also scheduled to discuss economic recovery in a post-COVID-19 world, and on the resumption of trade and tourism between Maldives and China at the earliest possible opportunity.

Foreign Ministry states the Maldivian government is keen on continuing dialogue with development partners such as China as Maldives embarks on a path of resilience and recovery post-COVID-19 pandemic, and is especially keen on strengthening the cooperation between the two countries in development projects.

Maldives will discuss future projects and new areas of cooperation for 2021, said the Foreign Ministry.

Foreign Ministry states that bilateral consultations have proven to be an excellent avenue for both countries to take stock of its partnership and find ways to strengthen existing areas of cooperation.

The last bilateral consultation between Maldives and China was held back in 2017, in Male’.