China’s Ambassador to Maldives, Zhang Lizhong, paid a courtesy call on President-elect Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on Saturday.

The meeting took place in the president-elect’s campaign office in Shinetree building.

Lizhong is the second foreign representative to call on Solih since his victory in the 2018 presidential election, India’s Akhilesh Mishra called on the president-elect earlier this week.

The current government has kept a close relation with China, even signing a free trade deal with the country in 2017. Its ongoing development projects in the Maldives include, SinaMalé Bridge, flats in Hulhumalé and Nasandhura Palace Hotel.

China was one of the first countries to congratulate Solih, with its foreign ministry saying that it ‘respects the decision made by the Maldivian people’. President Xi Jingping has since sent a congratulatory message to the newly elected president.

Back on Thursday, United Nations’ resident coordinator Shoko Noda called on Solih, where she told him that the UN ‘remains committed to working along the Maldives’ democratic process’ with his government.