China & Maldives to sign several agreements during President Muizzu's first state visit
China and the Maldives will sign several agreements to further bolster their bilateral ties following talks between President Xi Jinping and his Maldivian counterpart Mohamed Muizzu here this week, according to a senior official here. President Xi will host a welcome ceremony and a welcome banquet for President Muizzu during his state visit from January 8-12, the first by the Maldivian leader to a foreign country since he assumed office in November, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said.
The two heads of state will hold talks and attend the signing ceremony of cooperation documents. Premier Li Qiang and Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress Zhao Leji will meet with President Muizzu respectively, Wang told reporters here on Friday.
Wang emphasised that this would be President Muizzu's first state visit to a foreign country since he took office.
Muizzu, who is seen as a pro-China politician, took oath as the eighth President of the Maldives after defeating the India-friendly incumbent Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in the presidential runoff held in September.
President Xi will host a welcome ceremony and a welcome banquet for President Muizzu, Wang said without providing a date for the bilateral talks. The two heads of state will hold talks and attend the signing ceremony of cooperation documents, he said.
«China and the Maldives boast time-honoured friendship. In the past 52 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties, the two countries have treated each other with respect and supported each other, setting a fine example of equality and mutual benefits between countries of different sizes,» the spokesperson said.
