Skip to content

A digest of news and opinion from the Maldives.

Free Trade

asim

‘China-Maldives FTA will not dent relations with India’: top diplomat

2 min read

Maldives’ foreign minister Dr Mohamed Asim (L) meets Indian foreign minister Sushma Swaraj. The Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the Maldives and China will not undermine the former’s ties with neighbouring India, declared foreign minister Dr Mohamed Asim late Sunday. The contentious free trade pact, which cemented the close relations incumbent president Abdulla Yameen has […]

Chinese tourists

China travel agents cannot operate in Maldives despite FTA

1 min read

Tourists pictured at VIA. PHOTO: NISHAN ALI/MIHAARU Maldives Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators (MATATO) has stated that Chinese travel agents will not be permitted to operate in the Maldives under the new bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) between the Maldives and China. MATATO stated that the FTA would have a positive impact on […]

MPL

Maldives mulls lab to test quality of imported China products

1 min read

Aerial view of Maldives Ports Limited (MPL)’s commercial harbour in capital Male. FILE PHOTO/MIHAARU The Maldives government is looking to develop a lab to test the quality of goods imported from China after the recently signed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two countries comes into effect. In the FTA, China has agreed to establish […]

fta agreement . china maldives

Maldives signs landmark free trade pact with China

3 min read

Maldives’ president Abdulla Yameen and China’s president Xi Jingping watch as Maldives’ economic minister Mohamed Saeed and China’s commerce minister Zhong Shan sign the free trade agreement between the Maldives and China. PHOTO/PRESIDENT’S OFFICE The governments of the Maldives and China signed the long-discussed free trade agreement (FTA) on Thursday. The agreement was one of […]

PPM's PG leader Ahmed Nihan speaks at the ceremony in which CMEC handed over 1,500 flats to the Maldivian government. PHOTO: HUSSAIN WAHEED/MIHAARU

PPM PG leader slates Nasheed over ‘mocking China’

2 min read

PPM’s PG leader Ahmed Nihan speaks at the ceremony in which CMEC handed over 1,500 flats to the Maldivian government. PHOTO: HUSSAIN WAHEED/MIHAARU Parliamentary group leader of ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), Ahmed Nihan, struck back at former president Mohamed Nasheed on Monday, claiming that he was mocking China. Speaking at a ceremony held […]

yameen and saeed with adil

‘Free trade with China will benefit Maldives’, govt counters concerns

9 min read

President Abdulla Yameen (C), economic minister Mohamed Saeed (L) and MACL’s managing director Adil Moosa at the ceremony to kick off development of VIA’s new runway. PHOTO: NISHAN ALI/MIHAARU Economic minister Mohamed Saeed on Monday defended the impending free trade pact between the Maldives and China, giving a heated rejoinder to opposition criticism. Members of […]

Mohamed Nasheed

Free trade pact would “sell off” Maldives to China: MDP

4 min read

Former President Mohamed Nasheed pictured speaking. PHOTO/PRESIDENT’S OFFICE The Maldives-China free trade agreement (FTA) is a pact that would ultimately “sell off” the archipelago to China, claimed main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP). The remark was made by MDP’s deputy leader Mohamed Shifaz at a rally at MDP’s main hub on Sunday night to object […]

Economic Minister Mohamed Saeed

Maldives pushes for free trade pact with China in parliament

3 min read

Economic Minister Mohamed Saeed (C) pictured at a free trade discussion. The Maldives’ government on Wednesday decided to enter the long-discussed free trade pact with China, and submitted the proposal to the parliament for review. The president’s Cabinet ministers made the decision to sign the free trade agreement with China at a meeting held earlier […]