“Our development advances owe much to our closest friends” - President Yameen

President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom has stated that much of the Maldives’ development advances owed to its closest friends such as China and SAARC neighbours. The President made this remark while speaking at the opening ceremony of the 10th China-South Asia business forum.

The President said that the tremendous support and assistance of our bilateral partners, including China, played a pivotal role in our contemporary development. Stating that China’s role in the Maldives’ current growth was unmistakable, the President expressed his confidence of further cementing ties with our sincere and trusted friend, China.

Speaking at the ceremony, President Yameen noted that the Maldives became one of the first partners in the joint venture initiative to develop the 21st Century Maritime Silk Route envisioned by President Xi Jinping. He also pointed out the tremendous enthusiasm of the Maldivian corporate sector to become part of the important business event in Kunming.

Highlighting the close friendship Maldives and China have shared for years, President Yameen noted the pivotal role China has played in the socioeconomic development of the country. He said that from being among the poorest and most impoverished countries in the world at the time of Independence, the Maldives can proudly proclaim today that we have graduated from the list of UN’s Least Developed Countries, to that of a Middle Income Country. Underlining that Maldives’ development statistics continue to be among the best in the region, the President stated that multilateral agencies confirm that we can expect continued and sustained growth in the time ahead. The President further said that Sino-Maldives relations were today at an all-time high.

Speaking at the ceremony, the President noted that investor confidence in the Maldives was at an unprecedented and previously unattained level today. He said that the Government was implementing a number of strategic measures to entice major investors to the Maldives, including some of China’s largest overseas contractors and investors.