Chinese Ambassador to the Maldives, Zhang Lizhong, has shared information regarding the new rust-resistant materials used to coat the guardrails of the Sina-Male' bridge.

Chinese Ambassador to the Maldives, Zhang Lizhong, announced via Twitter on Sunday, that the anti-corrosion coating was developed after three months of laboratory experiments. He further added that the coating was tested on-site for nine additional months with testing taking approximately 2400 hours in total.

The ambassador further revealed that the materials were for the coating was obtained based on one year of research conducted by Xiamen University and the parent company responsible for the construction of the bridge, China Communications Construction Company Ltd. (CCCC)

Moreover, the ambassador disclosed that the coating was specially made to be durable over many years in addition to being anti-corrosive.

Additionally, the ambassador introduced Professor Lin Changjian of Xiamen University, the head researcher in charge of developing the anti-corrosive coating. Together, they answered some frequently asked questions regarding the passivation treatment and anti-corrosion coating.

As per the agreement made with China, CCCC Second Harbor Engineering Company is responsible for the maintenance of the bridge for two years following its construction.

The Chinese government donated USD116 million as aid and loaned USD72 million to the Maldives for the construction of the bridge. While the Maldivian government spent USD12million on the bridge, the total cost of the Sina-Male' bridge amounts to USD200 million.