Mayor Muizzu presenting corporate gift to Secretary Jun Lai of Pingtan, China

Secretariat of the Male' City Council24 May 2023


Visiting high-level delegation from Pingtan, China calls on Mayor Muizzu and City Council officials

A high-level delegation from Pingtan City, China today called on the Mayor of Male' City, Dr. Mohamed Muizzu and senior officials of the Male' City Council.

At a meeting held this morning, Mayor Dr. Muizzu extended a warm welcome to the visiting delegation, and spoke warmly of the bilateral and developmental ties between Maldives and China. Recalling the steady support and assistance provided by China to the improvement of municipal services to the residents of the capital city, he noted that Male' City benefitted from three different 'sister city' arrangements in China. Pointing out the many similarities between Male' and Pingtan, the Mayor wished the delegation from the Pingtan Comprehensive Pilot Zone every success in their vision to make the city a strong destination for international tourism.

Speaking on behalf of the visiting delegation, Mr. Jun Lai, Secretary of the CPC Working Committee of Pingtan Comprehensive Pilot Zone revealed that their visit to the Maldives had been a resounding success, and that they were committed to work closely with the Male' City Council. Looking forward to future engagements and the identification of areas of strong cooperation, Secretary Jun Lai noted that his delegation were focusing on important areas of urban growth such as housing, tourism, culture and sports. He noted that the Chinese government's vision was to develop Pingtan into the second largest destination for tourism in the country, and briefed the Male' City Council delegation on some of the strengths of Pingtan as a luxury holiday destination.

Briefing the Chinese delegation on the scope and vision of the Male' City Council, Dr. Mohamed Muizzu said that they hoped to learn from the experiences and recieve strong support in key areas of urban services such as waste management. He also spoke on the need to provide better housing for the people of the capital city. Noting that the highest point in bilateral ties between the two countries had coincided with the presidential tenure of President Yameen, Dr. Muizzu said that key infrastructure milestones such as the China-Maldives Friendship Bridge motivates him to strive for further improvements in ties going forward.

The Chinese delegation noted the high degree of trust between China and and the Male' City Council. The expressed their desire to contribute to the development of Maldives while adding to the age-old strong people to people ties betwee the two countries.

The Mayor of Male' was joined by the Deputy Mayor, select Councilors, the Secretary General and issue-based consultants of the Male' City Council on foreign relations, finance and housing.