Maldives President Muizzu urges China to send more tourists amid India-Maldives row
India-Maldives row: Amid the India-Maldives row, Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu appealed to China on Tuesday to "intensify" efforts to send more tourists to his country.
Notably, Indian tourists began cancelling reservations after a diplomatic row erupted over Maldives ministers' derogatory remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
On the second day of his five-day state visit to China, Maldives President Muizzu addressed the Maldives Business Forum in Fujian Province on Tuesday, describing China as the island nation's "closest" ally.
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"China remains one of our closest allies and development partners," the president said.
According to his speech, he praised the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2014, saying they "delivered the most significant infrastructure projects witnessed in Maldivian history".
He urged China to increase the flow of tourists to the Maldives.
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A readout posted on his official website stated, "China was our (Maldives') number one market pre-Covid, and it is my request that we intensify efforts for China to regain this position."
Furthermore, Maldivian media reported that the two countries had signed a USD 50 million agreement to develop an integrated tourism zone on the Indian Ocean island.
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