Maldives seeks Chinese investment for airport, seaport expansion
President Muizzu said the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has created land, ocean, air, and digital connectivity channels.
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President Mohamed Muizzu on Tuesday sought Chinese assistance to implement the second phase of the Velana International Airport (VIA) development project and the relocation of the country's main commercial port.
He made the statement while delivering his remarks at the Invest Maldives Forum at the Fuzhou Strait International Convention and Exhibition Centre in Fuzhou, China.
President Muizzu said the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has created land, ocean, air, and digital connectivity channels and truly transformed the way goods, capital, technology, and people move between partner countries.
"The new vision for our central airport that I launched just few days before I arrived here, and the commercial port project are key strategic initiatives of my government that are in alignment with the BRI vision of land, ocean, air and digital connectivity," he said.
"The government is keen to explore partnerships for these projects under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative."
The second phase of the development of Velana International Airport (VIA) has been inaugurated with a new international terminal with a capacity to serve 25 million passengers per annum. The project includes:
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The international terminal already under construction will be able to handle 7 million passengers annually
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The second phase aims to increase the number to 25 million
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It can handle 4,000 passengers per hour
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The domestic terminal, which currently handles 300 domestic passengers per hour, will be developed and the number will increase to 2,000
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A special low-cost terminal for budget airlines will be built to handle 1,000 passengers per hour
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Seaplane services will be further developed
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A new Maintenance, Repair and Operations (MRO) facility will be established
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The capacity of the cargo terminal will be increased to 3,000 metric tonnes
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Parking capacity will be increased to accommodate 70 aircraft at a time
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A dedicated terminal for private jets will be established
Speaking at the inauguration of the second phase of the VIA development last week, President Muizzu announced that the Male Commercial Port will be relocated to Thilafushi instead of Gulhifalhu.
However, the government has not yet disclosed details.
Maldives joined the BRI during the government of former President Abdulla Yameen.
The bridge connecting Male, Hulhule and Hulhumale is the largest infrastructure development project carried out by the government when Muizzu served as the housing minister in Yameen's cabinet. Half of the $200 million cost of the project was provided by China as grant aid, while the rest was a concessional loan.
More than 150 countries have participated in China's Belt and Road Initiative project. Developing countries have borrowed money to implement major infrastructure development projects, which critics say is a debt trap for poor countries.
The countries participating in the BRI already owe more than $300 billion to China's Exim Bank, the Chinese government said in October. Some countries have restructured their loans and taken out bailout loans.
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