Maldives, China ink 20 pacts; seeks funding for Ras Male, VIA
President Muizzu and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping presided over the signing ceremony.
Maldives and China on Wednesday signed 20 agreements, including a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on starting negotiations for investments in the government's Ras Male project and the second phase of Velana International Airport (VIA) development.
President Mohamed Muizzu, who is in China on his first state visit since assuming office on November 17, and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping presided over the signing ceremony at the Great Hall of People in Beijing.
The agreements include:
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1-
MoU between the National Disaster Management Authority of Maldives and the Ministry of Emergency Management of China on cooperation in the area of disaster risk reduction
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2-
MoU on deepening blue economy cooperation between the Ministry of Commerce of China and the Ministry of Fisheries and Ocean Resources of Maldives
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3-
MoU on strengthening investment cooperation in the digital economy between the Ministry of Homeland Security and Technology of Maldives and the Ministry of Commerce of China
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4-
MoU on promoting investment cooperation in green development between the Ministry of Commerce of China and the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Maldives
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5-
Memorandum of Cooperation between China Media Group and Public Service Media of Maldives
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6-
MoU on jointly accelerating the formulation of the cooperation plan on the Belt and Road Initiative between the National Development and Reform Commission of China and the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Maldives
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MoU on strengthening digital economy cooperation between the National Data Administration of China and the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Maldives
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MoU on human resource development cooperation between China International Development Cooperation Agency of China and the Ministry of Higher Education, Labour and Skills Development of Maldives
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MoU on exchange and cooperation in the field of economic development policy between the National Development Reform Commission of China and the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Maldives
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10-
MoU on technical cooperation of entry and exit animal and plant quarantine between the General Administration of Customs of China and the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Welfare of Maldives
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11-
MoU between the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China and the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Welfare of Maldives on strengthening of agricultural cooperation
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12-
Action plan for building a China-Maldives Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership (2024-2028)
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Grant assistance
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14-
MoU on cooperation on green and low-carbon development between The National Development and Reform Commission of China and the Ministry of Climate Change, Environment and Energy of Maldives
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MoU between China International Development Cooperation Agency and the Ministry of Construction and Infrastructure of Maldives on Social Housing Project on Fushidhiggaru Falhu, Expansion of VIA, Fisheries Products Processing Factories and Re-development of Male’ and Villimale’ Roads Development Projects
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MoU between the Ministry of Natural Resources of China and the Ministry of Fisheries and Ocean Resources of Maldives on marine cooperation toward blue partnership
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MoU between the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China and the Ministry of Tourism of Maldives
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18-
Letter of Exchange on Coconut Tree Pest Control Assistance Project
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19-
Letter of Exchange on feasibility study on laboratory equipment for 17 health facilities project
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20-
MoU on news cooperation between Public Service Media (PSM) of Maldives and Xinhua News Agency of China
President Muizzu had in December inaugurated Ras Male, marking the commencement of the Maldives' most extensive land reclamation project ever undertaken.
The president noted at the inauguration ceremony:
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1,150 hectares of land will be reclaimed from Fushidhiggaru Falhu lagoon
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An airstrip will be established in the lagoon near the island once it is reclaimed; it will be linked to Ras Male by a bridge
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65,000 housing units including land and flats
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The city will be promoted to the world as the Maldives Eco City
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The city will be served by a modern high-speed ferry system; the ferries will be equipped with wave and ocean-resistant technology
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The city will provide energy generation and transportation services in an environmentally friendly manner
Sri Lanka's Capital Marine and Civil Construction (CMC) has been awarded a contract to reclaim land from Fushidhiggaru Falhu lagoon, the flagship housing and urban development project of the new government, despite the opposition-controlled parliament budget removing the funds for the project from the 2024 budget.
Meanwhile, 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
