Fruitful practical cooperation between China and Maldives

China and Maldives have a long-standing friendship.   Over the past 10 years, China Malaysia relations have developed in depth, the two sides have jointly built the "the Belt and Road" in high quality, practical cooperation in various fields has achieved fruitful results, and traditional friendship has been deepening.
"Living here is very convenient"
Driving from the capital Male, passing the first cross sea bridge in Maldives, the China Malaysia Friendship Bridge, soon arrived at the second largest island in the area, Hulumale. Walking along the wide street, rows of brightly colored buildings come into view. Looking into the distance from a high altitude, more than ten buildings with white walls and blue roofs complement the distant blue sea, making them particularly eye-catching; Another group of buildings with pink walls and red roofs is adjacent to it, separated by a lush street garden.
This is one of the civil residential projects in Maldives undertaken by China Machinery Engineering Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "China Design Group").   The rendering of the residential building at the unveiling ceremony has now become a vibrant residential area.
Hulumale is approximately 8 kilometers away from Male. More than 10 years ago, water resources were scarce here and transportation was inconvenient. In response to climate change and population growth pressures, Maldives established a housing development company in 2001, responsible for building Hulumale Island. In 2009, China Design Group signed a memorandum of understanding with Malaysia to undertake the construction of approximately 4000 housing projects, which were completed in three phases. As of June 2022, all housing has been handed over to the Malaysian side, helping over 10000 local residents improve their living conditions.
"The feeling of living here is really good!" Local resident Rashid said, "We used to rent a house and our family of three were squeezed into a small house of 30 square meters. Now we have our own house with an area of 75 square meters. It's really comfortable here!"
Sarah's family consists of six people and she admires the surrounding facilities, saying, "There are many green spaces around, and we can fully enjoy our leisure time. The shops and hospitals are also not far away, making life here very convenient."

"By building comfortable housing, you have contributed to improving the lives of the people of Maldives and benefited Maldives from the initiative of jointly building the the Belt and Road. As a new home for local communities, the housing project in Maldives will benefit the people and promote the better development of the friendship between Malaysia and China." At the handover ceremony of the third phase of housing project held in June 2022, At the time, the President of the 76th United Nations General Assembly and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Maldives, Shahid, sent a video speech.

With the completion of housing projects undertaken by Chinese enterprises, the Hulumale Street is now wide, with a high greening rate and a modern atmosphere, and commerce has further developed. At night, Huluma is bustling with lights and lights, and this new city showcases vitality.
"Enable the public to access first-class diagnosis and treatment services"
36 year old Almas is currently a busy person at the Central Horse Ophthalmology Center at Hulumale Hospital. Not long ago, she finished her three-month training at the Sun Yat sen Ophthalmology Center at Sun Yat sen University in China. Before she could return to Maldives from Guangdong, the patient had already started scheduling appointments and queuing up.
In the operating room donated by China with a complete set of equipment, Almas is performing cataract phacoemulsification surgery for patients, skillfully and decisively - she has mastered this advanced cataract treatment method proficiently.
"Although I haven't been in China for a long time, I have felt the kindness and enthusiasm of the Chinese people. The doctors and nurses at Zhongshan Ophthalmology Center have provided me with a lot of help, which has benefited me a lot." She said that the people of Maldives have always been excited about the Chinese doctors who provide medical assistance, "hoping that Chinese doctors will go to Maldives again to treat diseases for the people here.".
In 2020, with the support of the National Health Commission of China and the Guangdong Provincial Health Commission, Professor Chen Weirong from Zhongshan Ophthalmology Center led a team of foreign medical experts to Maldives and brought a complete set of ophthalmic diagnosis and treatment equipment. Relying on Hulumale Hospital, they established China's first modern and standardized ophthalmology center with foreign assistance.
Since its opening, the China Malaysia Ophthalmology Center has provided various diagnostic and treatment services to local eye disease patients, helping hundreds of eye disease patients regain their sight, and training local medical staff through online and offline methods. Almas is also a direct beneficiary. Before joining the China Malaysia Ophthalmology Center in December 2022, Almas worked in ophthalmic clinics at other hospitals in Male. "The ophthalmic center provides first-class medical services to the public. Here, my career has also taken a new leap," she said.
"We warmly welcome Chinese tourists to come."
Local tour guide Yaper has opened a homestay on Hulumale Island, a three story building with over a dozen guest rooms, accommodating tourists from various countries. When he saw Chinese tourists, he was particularly enthusiastic, shaking hands, patting the shoulders, adding WeChat, and providing detailed information about his hotel as well as services such as going out to sea and diving. "We warmly welcome Chinese tourists!" Yaper told reporters.
According to the statistics of the Maldives Ministry of Tourism, in 2023, the country received approximately 1.87 million foreign tourists, of which approximately 187000 were Chinese tourists, accounting for 10% and ranking among the top three. The Maldives Ministry of Tourism predicts that foreign tourists will reach 2 million in 2024, and the number of Chinese tourists is expected to return to the top of the list.
The tourism industry is the economic pillar of Maldives, and the Malaysian government, tourism and related practitioners attach great importance to the Chinese market. The spokesperson for the Maldives Presidential Office, Mohammad Shahib, recently stated that the Maldives government has decided to invest in the addition of two new planes from the Ministry of Finance to increase direct flights to major tourist destinations, with "Chinese routes being prioritized.".
With the deepening of cultural exchanges between China and Maldives, the "China fever" in Maldives continues to heat up. In September 2022, the Chinese Language Center jointly established by Chang'an University, Hunan Vocational and Technical College of Mass Media, and Maldives Villa College was unveiled. This is the first Chinese language center established in Maldives, which has become an important achievement of cultural and educational cooperation between China and Maldives. Nowadays, the tourism Chinese language training courses held by the Chinese Language Center of Villa College are very popular, and many Malaysian tourism practitioners are actively registering.
"In 2023, we will jointly press the 'fast forward' button for the development of China Malaysia relations." Chinese Ambassador to Maldives Wang Lixin said that China and Malaysia have resumed direct flights and tourism cooperation is steadily accelerating; The China Malaysia Mutual Visa Exemption Agreement has officially come into effect, further facilitating personnel exchanges between the two countries; Establishing a "Chinese Ambassador Scholarship" at Malaysian universities to facilitate youth exchange and cooperation between the two countries; Officials from the Malaysian government, representatives of political parties, media, and local friendly individuals from all walks of life have successively visited China, enhancing the friendship between the two countries. "Looking ahead to the future, we are willing to work with the Malaysian government and friendly individuals from all walks of life to continue traditional friendship, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, and jointly write a new chapter of comprehensive and friendly partnership between China and Malaysia towards the future."