China has expressed its desire to collaborate with the Maldives on the Global Development Initiative (GDI). This was announced by Wang Lixin, China’s ambassador to the Maldives, in a statement titled “Join Hands to Build a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind to Deliver a Better Future for the World.”
The GDI, introduced by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2021, is a global initiative focused on building a global community with a shared future. In 2022, the Group of Friends of the GDI was established at the United Nations.
Ambassador Wang Lixin highlighted the strong ties between China and the Maldives, describing the Maldives as “a traditional friendly neighbor and an important development partner of China.” She noted that during a recent state visit by Maldivian President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu to Beijing, both countries expressed a commitment to further collaboration under the GDI, focusing on areas such as green development, the digital economy, and the blue economy.
“The Chinese side welcomes the participation of the Maldives in the Group of Friends of the GDI, and is ready to work with the Maldives to accelerate implementation of the projects of GDI Project Pool to benefit the two peoples,” Ambassador Wang stated.
The ambassador also emphasized China’s contributions under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), citing substantial investments and job creation figures. She further highlighted China’s role in facilitating diplomatic reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran in 2023 as an example of the Global Security Initiative (GSI) in action.
