Maldives and China are set to hold Director General level bilateral talks, on Thursday.

Additional Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amin Javed Faizal is to lead the Maldives delegation at the discussion, while Deputy Director General at the Asian Affairs Department of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, Chen Song, will lead the Chinese Delegation.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the meeting aims “to enhance bilateral coordination between the two countries on mutual areas of cooperation”, adding that discussions at the meeting will include upon topics relating to the situation surrounding the Covid-19 global pandemic, economic recovery, including on tourism cooperation and international travel.

Both countries will also discuss ways to further enhance bilateral cooperation and also cooperation at the multilateral level.

Maldives and China regularly hold bilateral consultations, with the most recent one having taken place in July this year, also at the level of Director-General.

Noting that the Maldivian government is keen on continuing its bilateral dialogue with its developmental partners as the country embarks on a path of resilience and recovery following the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the foreign ministry said that the government seeks “to add momentum to its economic recovery efforts, especially on the resumption of tourism where China was the largest market prior to the outbreak of Covid-19 in the Maldives”.

Earlier this month, Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid met with Chinese Ambassador Zhang Lizhong and said that the Maldives will be working “very closely” with southeastern nation, to overcome the present economic challenges faced by the country due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

China was among the first countries to offer its assistance to the Maldives relief efforts. The country has donated essential medical supplies and equipment and assisted in constructing accommodation blocks for expatriate workers.