His Excellency Wang Yong, Vice Chairman of National Committee of CPPCC;
His Excellency Luo Zhaohui, Chairman of CIDCA;
His Excellency Wang Yubo, Governor of Yunnan Province;
Honourable Reginald Farley, President of the Senate of Barbados;
Excellencies;
Distinguished Guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen;
A very pleasant morning to you all.
I am delighted to be back in the city of Kunming, an industrial and research hub renowned for its tourism. The harmony of modern architecture and greenery reflects China’s exceptional urban planning and its remarkable rise as a global economic leader.
It was around this time last year I attended the 2nd edition of this forum. To return to this year’s forum is indeed a pleasure, especially as a co-host, and I look forward to the interactions and outcomes of this year’s forum.
The successive editions of this forum reflect the Government of China’s, especially His Excellency Xi Jinping’s commitment to addressing common cross-border challenges with effective responses.
Our relationship is based on strong historical ties, shared values, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the Maldives’ firm commitment to the One-China Principle.
Excellencies; Distinguished Guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen;
For over 4000 years, the ocean has sustained our livelihoods and shaped our identity as the “children of the sea”.
Today, this deep maritime heritage inspires our vision for development, with the ocean as both a cultural cornerstone and vital resource.
This is why, His Excellency President Dr. Mohammed Muizzu is committed to advancing sustainable development, ensuring it benefits all, by creating jobs for youth through the full potential of our blue economy.
The Maldives relies on two primary sources of income – fisheries, a centuries old foundation, and tourism, which emerged just 50 years ago. Fisheries remains central to our economy, accounting for 90% of our physical exports.
Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing threatens our fish stocks, risking the livelihoods of coastal communities and food security.
Large-scale fishing practices like trawling conflict with the ethical fisheries Maldives has practiced for generations. We use pole-and-line fishing, ensuring zero by-catch and no harm to marine habitat. This method is legally mandated to ensure sustainability.
Excellencies; Distinguished Guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen;
Small Island Developing States like ours bear a disproportionate burden of climate change despite minimal emissions. We have voiced this concern on countless platforms, countless times.
As is often said, “time and tide wait for no one” and our window for climate action narrows with each passing day.
Tourism and fisheries industries are heavily impacted by climate change, marine pollution and IUU fishing, leaving our economies struggling to address the long-term effects.
The Maldives is doing as much as we can, with the little resources we have, to adapt to and mitigate climate change impacts. President Dr. Muizzu has announced an ambition plan to scale up our climate action.
We are committed to meeting 33 percent of our electricity demand from renewable sources by 2028. A just climate transition, addressing the diverse needs of nations, is essential to limit global warming and protect marine biodiversity which is crucial to blue economies of vulnerable states.
Excellencies; Distinguished Guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen;
During President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s successful visit to China earlier this year, our countries signed key agreements to enhance blue economy cooperation.
As a global leader in maritime affairs, China has been a reliable partner to the Maldives through our strong bilateral relationship. I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the Government of China for their continued support for our progress and development.
Before concluding, I would like to express my gratitude to the Yunnan Provincial People’s Government for their outstanding arrangements in hosting this forum.
I thank CIDCA once again for inviting me to the forum this year.
The Maldives is pleased to co-host this year’s forum with Barbados. I look forward to another successful forum and enlightening deliberations.
Thank you all.