On April 20, the Chinese Embassy in the Maldives held a book donation ceremony to the National Library of the Maldives, celebrating UN Chinese Language Day and the upcoming World Book and Copyright Day. Ambassador H.E. Mr. Kong Xianhua, UN Resident Coordinator in the Maldives Mr. Zhang Hao, Director General of the National Library, and representatives of teachers and students from the Chinese Language Center of Villa College attended the event.

In his remarks, Ambassador Kong introduced the origins of Chinese characters and the historical continuity and development of Chinese civilization. He emphasized the importance of reading in cultivating critical thinking and enhancing cross-cultural understanding. President Xi Jinping has called for building a book-loving society and proposed the Global Civilization Initiative. The Ambassador expressed hope that the books donated by the Embassy—introducing Chinese culture and history—would help deepen the Maldivian public’s understanding of China, spark interest in learning the Chinese language, and promote people-to-people exchanges and friendship between the two countries.

UN Resident Coordinator Mr. Zhang Hao congratulated the occasion of UN Chinese Language Day and reaffirmed the UN’s commitment to promoting dialogue and mutual understanding among different civilizations.

The Maldivian side expressed sincere gratitude to the Chinese government and the Embassy for their long-standing support for cultural exchanges and friendly cooperation between the two countries.