Your Excellency Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, President of the Republic of Maldives,

Your Excellency Mohamed Saeed, Minister of Economic Development, Transport and Trade,

Honourable Ministers and distinguished guests,
Dear Diplomatic Colleagues,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Dear friends, 

Good morning!

It is a great pleasure to join you at the first China-Maldives Investment Cooperation Forum. First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to His Excellency President Dr. Muizzu for joining us today. Your presence reflects the importance the Maldives attaches to its relations with China and to our economic cooperation. I also wish to thank His Excellency Minister Saeed and the relevant authorities for their efforts in preparing this forum. By bringing our two sides together, this forum gives us a valuable opportunity to deepen mutual understanding and advance practical cooperation.

The theme of this forum is “Empowering the Synergistic Development of Green, Blue and Digital Economies with New-Quality Productive Forces”. It points to the future priority of China-Maldives economic cooperation.

Over the past eight years, the China-Maldives Friendship Bridge has improved the livelihoods of Maldivian people and supported economic development. Today, building on the successful story of cooperation, let us create a new “intangible friendship bridge” for the future.

This intangible bridge rests on a strong political foundation. In the successful state visit of His Excellency President Dr. Muizzu to China,   the two heads of state elevated China-Maldives relations to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and jointly announced the building of a China-Maldives Community with a Shared Future. Last year, His Excellency President visited China once again to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit. The agreements signed on both visits, together with those we are about to sign today, carry forward the priorities set by the two heads of state. They will deepen bilateral economic cooperation through enhanced technology transfer, investment and people-to-people exchanges.

This intangible bridge also rests on a solid economic foundation. Today’s forum centers on new-quality productive forces and how they can drive progress in the green, blue and digital economies. So, what are “new-quality productive forces”? At their core, they leverage scientific and technological innovation to upgrade industries, so that development becomes more efficient, higher quality and more sustainable. Whether we foster emerging industries such as renewable energy and artificial intelligence, or modernize traditional sectors through digital and green technologies, the key is to align innovation with industry needs, market demand and talent development. In this way, we can turn resource constraints into a source of innovation, challenges into opportunities, and people’s aspirations for a better life into reality.

Take agriculture for example. With roughly 9% of the world’s arable land, China feeds nearly one-fifth of the global population. Agricultural scientific and technological advances have been the biggest contributor to this achievement. Given the Maldives’ unique situation, suitable crops, smart greenhouses, hydroponics and water-saving irrigation can optimize resource utilization and expand local supplies of fresh produce.

Energy is another example. In China, by the end of 2025, wind and solar capacity had reached 1840GW, accounting for 47% of total installed power capacity. Blessed with abundant sunshine, the Maldives can tap into rooftop and floating solar, energy storage and micro-grid solutions. Reaching the 33% renewable energy target set by His Excellency the President is well within reach.

Transportation also faces significant opportunities. eVTOL and electric vessels will substantially lower inter-island logistics costs and reshape transport across this beautiful archipelago.

Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,

Looking ahead, we should build on political mutual trust to expand all-round economic cooperation.

Political mutual trust serves as the fundamental guarantee for the steady and long-term growth of China-Maldives relations. We shall further align our development strategies and strengthen policy communication, foster closer ties among government agencies, enterprises, industry associations and research institutions to translate political mutual trust into more development opportunities and tangible cooperation outcomes.

Looking ahead, we should invest in local talent and expand people-to-people ties.

Talent, especially young talent, is the core driver of new-quality productive forces. And, practice offers the optimal pathway for talent development. Through practical projects, we should help young people build their skills and become the next generation of professionals and emerging entrepreneurs in the green, blue and digital economies. This will help cooperation take root locally, benefit the people and strengthen the Maldives’ capacity for independent development.

Distinguished guests and friends,

I firmly believe that, guided by the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, together, we are capable of building this intangible friendship bridge for the new era. Technological and investment cooperation will serve as its piers, talent development as its bridge girders, and the shared vision of attaining developed-nation status as its guiding compass.  

I hope all participants will make good use of this forum, exchange ideas, identify practical areas for cooperation, and most important of all, take actions. I believe that years from now, today will be remembered as the foundation-laying moment of this new friendship bridge.

I wish this forum every success. I wish His Excellency President Dr. Muizzu and all our guests good health and every success in your work.

Thank you!

Shukuriyaa!

谢谢大家！