Minister Asim co-chairs Joint Meeting Mechanism with Ambassador of China

November 28, 2017

Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Mohamed Asim and Ambassador of China to the Maldives, Mr. Zhang Lizhong co-chaired the Joint Meeting Mechanism this afternoon to address the safety of Chinese tourists travelling to the Maldives.

At the meeting, Minister Asim maintained that China being the most important market for the tourism industry in the Maldives, it is imperative that both countries exchanged ideas to ensure a safe environment for Chinese tourists travelling to the Maldives.

Minister Asim also pointed out that the Government is working closely with relevant industry stakeholders to ensure safety and security of all tourists in the Maldives.

During the meeting, Minister Asim also highlighted some important measures taken by the Government to identify potential threats concerning the safety and security of tourists and to effectively counter and mitigate these threats.

Ambassador Zhang Lizhong thanked the Government and relevant authorities for the coordination and cooperation extended in ensuring a safe environment to the Chinese tourists in the Maldives.

During the meeting, a consensus on the wide distribution of kind reminders for Chinese nationals in the Maldives was announced. Also, the new version of the kind reminders for Chinese nationals in the Maldives was jointly launched by Minister Asim and Ambassador Lizhong.

The Joint Meeting was attended by senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Embassy of China in the Maldives, Ministry of Tourism, Maldives Immigration, Maldives Police Service, NDMC, MMPRC, MACL, MATI, representatives from tourist resorts, guest houses, various airlines, various travel agencies and Chinese companies undertaking projects in the Maldives.

 

The Meeting was held under the Memorandum of Understanding concluded between the Maldives and China during the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to the Maldives in September 2014.