On his first China visit, Maldives' trade minister highlights close India ties
China on Wednesday spoke of President Mohamed Muizzu's recent visit to New Delhi and the importance of India to his country's tourism-dependent economy. The comments by Minister of Economic Development and Trade Mohamed Saeed came as Male seems to have re-oriented ties with New Delhi following President Muizzu, known for his pro-China leanings, attending Prime Minister Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony earlier this month.
«President Muizzu reiterated that India remains our closest neighbour,» Saeed, who is attending the 15th World Economic Forum (WEF) at Dalian, told CNBC International TV in an interview.
«India and Maldives have a long relationship. India is one of the most important tourism destinations for us, especially in terms of inbound tourism. There are a lot of Indian investments in Maldives, especially in the tourism sector,» he said answering a question about «strained» ties between Maldives and India.
On his return to Male from New Delhi, President Muizzu described his official visit to India to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Modi as a «significant success» for the Maldives.
Muizzu also emphasised that the strong ties between the two nations would bring prosperity to the Maldives and Maldivian citizens, and he expressed optimism for a successful bilateral relationship in the future.
Saeed is the first Maldives minister to visit China after Muizzu visited Beijing in January which made headlines as it took place in the
