TaiShang
ELITE MEMBER
- Joined
- Apr 30, 2014
- Messages
- 27,848
- Reaction score
- 70
- Country
- Location
Xi seeks to rejuvenate ties with Maldives
Chinese President Xi Jinping is currently in the Maldives, for a landmark visit, the first by a Chinese head of state in 42 years.
Upon arrival on Sunday, Xi was welcomed by Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen and his wife at Male International Airport. The two leaders will hold wide-ranging talks on deepening cooperation.
The two countries are also expected to sign a series of agreements, which the Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Liu Jianchao has termed as having “epoch-making significance” for China-Maldives ties.
Xi has also invited the Maldives to be part of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road initiative.
China and the Maldives first established diplomatic ties in 1972, and since then, the partnership has witnessed steady growth.
China has helped in several construction projects in the Maldives, including the construction of the foreign ministry’s building, the national museum and residential blocks.
Growing tourism
Tourism, which is a pillar industry for the Maldives, is also a key component of ties between the two countries.
China has been the biggest source of tourists for the Maldives for four years in a row.
The number of Chinese tourists reached a record high of 330,000 last year, making up one-third of all the travellers to the Maldives.
Already in the first five months of 2014, more than 65,000 Chinese have traveled to the Maldives, with authorities there expecting that the total number for the year would touch 300,000.
Also, as part of the President's trip:
China, Tajikistan set $3 billion trade target
China and Tajikistan agreed on a five-year development plan for the bilateral strategic partnership, during President Xi Jinping’s visit to Dushanbe.
The plan will be the roadmap for further all-round cooperation between the two nations, Xi said in talks with his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rahmon.
Xi also proposed that both sides strive to increase bilateral trade to $3 billion in next five years and urged greater cooperation through the Silk Road Economic Belt.
During the talks, the Chinese president called for partnerships in the areas of oil and gas, electricity, agriculture, trade and transportation infrastructure construction and mutual inter-connectivity.
Watch this video for an analysis of China-Tajikistan ties:
New gas pipeline
Energy cooperation is a key component of the China-Tajikistan relationship. On Saturday, the two leaders witnessed the beginning of construction work on Line D of the China-Central Asia gas pipeline.
At present, China has three natural gas pipelines, which connect with Central Asian countries. The 1,000-km Line D is the fourth, with 410 km of it running through the territory of Tajikistan.
The pipeline will cross through Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, to deliver gas from Turkmenistan to China.
The designed delivery capacity of Line D is 30 billion cubic meters annually.
Security challenges
Apart from trade, the talks also focused on security challenges facing the two countries and the region.
The Chinese president stressed that it is important to deepen cooperation with regard to “border control and the fight against terrorism, drug trafficking, and transnational organized crimes.”
The Tajik president, who called for joint action to combat the common threats of terrorism, separatism and extremism, echoed that sentiment.
The two presidents also exchanged views on the situation in Afghanistan, and pledged to assist in the reconstruction work there.
Tajikistan is the first leg of Xi’s ongoing four-nation trip, which will also take him to Maldives, Sri Lanka and India.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is currently in the Maldives, for a landmark visit, the first by a Chinese head of state in 42 years.
Upon arrival on Sunday, Xi was welcomed by Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen and his wife at Male International Airport. The two leaders will hold wide-ranging talks on deepening cooperation.
The two countries are also expected to sign a series of agreements, which the Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Liu Jianchao has termed as having “epoch-making significance” for China-Maldives ties.
Xi has also invited the Maldives to be part of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road initiative.
China and the Maldives first established diplomatic ties in 1972, and since then, the partnership has witnessed steady growth.
China has helped in several construction projects in the Maldives, including the construction of the foreign ministry’s building, the national museum and residential blocks.
Growing tourism
Tourism, which is a pillar industry for the Maldives, is also a key component of ties between the two countries.
China has been the biggest source of tourists for the Maldives for four years in a row.
The number of Chinese tourists reached a record high of 330,000 last year, making up one-third of all the travellers to the Maldives.
Already in the first five months of 2014, more than 65,000 Chinese have traveled to the Maldives, with authorities there expecting that the total number for the year would touch 300,000.
Also, as part of the President's trip:
China, Tajikistan set $3 billion trade target
China and Tajikistan agreed on a five-year development plan for the bilateral strategic partnership, during President Xi Jinping’s visit to Dushanbe.
The plan will be the roadmap for further all-round cooperation between the two nations, Xi said in talks with his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rahmon.
Xi also proposed that both sides strive to increase bilateral trade to $3 billion in next five years and urged greater cooperation through the Silk Road Economic Belt.
During the talks, the Chinese president called for partnerships in the areas of oil and gas, electricity, agriculture, trade and transportation infrastructure construction and mutual inter-connectivity.
Watch this video for an analysis of China-Tajikistan ties:
New gas pipeline
Energy cooperation is a key component of the China-Tajikistan relationship. On Saturday, the two leaders witnessed the beginning of construction work on Line D of the China-Central Asia gas pipeline.
At present, China has three natural gas pipelines, which connect with Central Asian countries. The 1,000-km Line D is the fourth, with 410 km of it running through the territory of Tajikistan.
The pipeline will cross through Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, to deliver gas from Turkmenistan to China.
The designed delivery capacity of Line D is 30 billion cubic meters annually.
Security challenges
Apart from trade, the talks also focused on security challenges facing the two countries and the region.
The Chinese president stressed that it is important to deepen cooperation with regard to “border control and the fight against terrorism, drug trafficking, and transnational organized crimes.”
The Tajik president, who called for joint action to combat the common threats of terrorism, separatism and extremism, echoed that sentiment.
The two presidents also exchanged views on the situation in Afghanistan, and pledged to assist in the reconstruction work there.
Tajikistan is the first leg of Xi’s ongoing four-nation trip, which will also take him to Maldives, Sri Lanka and India.
