On September 23, 2024, the head of state of the Maldives, Muiz, met with the Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of China, Wang Yi, in New York. Wang Yi first conveyed the Chinese President's deep concern and greetings to President Moiz, and emphasized the deep traditional friendship between China and the Maldives as close maritime neighbors.

Wang Yi pointed out that since President Moiz's historic state visit to China in early 2024, the two heads of state have jointly decided to elevate China-Maldives relations to a new level of comprehensive strategic partnership and work together to build a China-Maldives community with a shared future. Under the strategic guidance of the leaders of the two countries, exchanges between China and Maldives at all levels have become increasingly frequent, and practical cooperation has continued to deepen, bringing tangible benefits to the Maldivian people. In the face of the complex and ever-changing international situation, China and Malaysia have always maintained mutual understanding, trust and support to ensure the steady progress of bilateral relations. China is ready to work with the Maldives to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state and push China-Maldives relations to a higher level.

Wang Yi also said that China's development is not only an enhancement of the power of world peace, but also an enhancement of the overall strength of developing countries, bringing new development opportunities to the Maldives and other developing countries. China-Maldives relations have become a model of equality, mutual support and mutual benefit between countries large and small. China will continue to firmly support the Maldives in safeguarding its national sovereignty, territorial integrity and national dignity, and in exploring a development path suited to its own national conditions. The two sides should further deepen cooperation in various fields, jointly address challenges, and become solid partners on each other's development path.

China highly appreciates the successful hosting of the Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States by the Maldives and is willing to continue to contribute to the development of small island developing States and jointly address global challenges such as climate change through platforms such as the Global Development Initiative.

President Muiz asked Wang Yi to convey his sincere greetings to the Chinese President and warmly congratulate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. He recalled his experience as the first foreign head of state to be invited by China in 2024 and considered it a landmark visit that greatly boosted the vigorous development of Malaysia-China relations. Muiz reiterated that the Maldives firmly supports the one-China principle and highly appreciates the international cooperation initiatives put forward by President Xi Jinping. Since 2024, a number of Maldivian ministers have visited China, and the two countries have made remarkable progress in cooperation in various fields. The Government and people of the Maldives sincerely thank China for its selfless assistance to the economic and social development of the Maldives, and look forward to further strengthening cooperation in the fields of finance, social housing, agriculture, infrastructure and tourism, so as to achieve more fruitful results in Malaysia-China relations.Editor/Jiang Mingyue