The Agreement on Mutual Visa Exemption between Maldivians and China has officially come into effect.
This was revealed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdulla Shahid, via a twitter post.
In his tweet, the Maldivian Foreign Minister noted that Maldivians will now be able to travel to China without a visa, on a 30 day visa-free basis.
The Agreement on Mutual Visa Exemption was signed as part of China's former State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi’s official visit to Maldives in January 2022.
The “Agreement on Mutual Visa Exemption between the Government of the Republic of Maldives and the Government of the People’s Republic of China” will allow Maldivians to travel to China on a visa-free basis for 30 days once the restrictions of Covid-19 have been lifted.
As part of Wang Yi’s visit to Maldives, four more key agreements were signed between the two countries.
The agreements signed include;
- Agreement of Economic and Technical Cooperation between the Government of the Republic of Maldives and the Government of the People’s Republic of China on Grand Aid
- Letter of Exchange on the Feasibility Study of Management and Maintenance of China-Maldives Friendship Bridge
- Supplementary Contract to the Implementation Contract for China Aided Micro-Grid Sea-water Desalination Project in the Maldives
- Agreement on Establishing a Hospital Assistance and Cooperation Programme between the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Maldives and the National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China.
Maldives accords China as one of the most important development partners. China continues to contribute to the socio-economic development of Maldives, in several areas of significance.
The year 2022 marked the 50th anniversary of the establishment of political relations between China and Maldives.
