بســم اللّـه الرّحمـن الرّحيــم
Your Excellency, the Ambassador thank you very much for your kind words and with your very specific statistics, I have no doubt your country is going in the right direction and leading the world. Even if you look at the political changes in china they have proved that they are taking patient, calculative, constructive and very objective directions and I believe that is how the democracy must be developed, not very hastily.
Your Excellency, the Ambassador of China to the Republic of Maldives,
excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, assalam alaikum a very good evening to you and I hope the rain will stop now
I am greatly honored to be a part at this reception held to commemorate the 63rd Anniversary of the Founding of the People’s Republic of China. It is also my distinct honor and privilege to convey to Your Excellency, the Government and the friendly people of the People’s Republic of China, warm greetings and sincere good wishes from President Waheed the Government, the people of the Maldives and my own self.
The Maldives and China share a long history of close relations and this October we will mark the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. China continues to be a close partner of the Maldives in diverse spheres. The contributions from China to the social, cultural and economic development of our country are immense. I would especially like to note the contributions China has made to housing development in the Maldives, along with other infrastructure projects and I am glad that the housing, and the people who build the houses and flats are here today, thank you very much for coming today. The Foreign Ministry building stands as a testament to the close relations between our two countries. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Government and the people of China for their generosity towards the Maldives and I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the government and the people of china recent development assistance extended through economic & technical cooperation between the two countries and concessional financing.
The opening of the Embassy of China in the Maldives last year demonstrates the importance the Chinese Government attaches to its relations between the Maldives although we one of the smallest nations and just now the Ambassador has described how tiny we are and how big the Chinese are or the Chinese government is. As a gesture to further strengthen the relationship between our two countries, the Government has decided to provide land for the establishment of the Chinese Embassy in the Maldives. The constructive engagement and support that His Excellency and the Embassy Staff offer to us, greatly contributes to consolidating the close and friendly relations that exist between the Maldives and China.
I am pleased to note that China is currently the number one tourist market for the Maldives and I hope that the number of Chinese tourists travelling to the Maldives will continue to increase. In addition, trade between the Maldives and China has increased significantly in the past few years and China remains one of the largest trading partners of the Maldives.
I remain confident that the traditional bonds of friendship and cooperation that we have enjoyed over the past four decades will continue to grow and expand in the years to come. I am positive that these existing ties of friendship and cooperation between our two countries will continue to expand and develop in the years ahead and I look forward to working with the Government of China in this regard.
I wish Your Excellency and the friendly people of the People’s Republic of China, even greater prosperity and progress in the years ahead.
Thank you
