CIDCA chairman attends the China-Maldives Friendship Bridge opening ceremony

The China-Maldives Friendship Bridge opened to traffic on Aug 30. Maldives President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayyoom and Wang Xiaotao, Chinese government special envoy and chairman of the China International Development Cooperation Agency, attended the opening ceremony.

Wang, on behalf of the Chinese government, congratulated Yameen on the opening of the China-Maldives Friendship Bridge, calling it an iconic project by the two countries to co-build the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road under the Belt and Road Initiative.

“The bridge is also a new symbol of the continued friendship between the two peoples and a new start in bilateral relations," said Wang. Cooperation between China and Maldives will continue to serve all the local people and benefit them, he said.

Yameen expressed his gratitude to the President and the Chinese government for their keen support in realizing Maldivians’s long-term dream of a cross-sea bridge. The bridge is believed to be a milestone of the two countries and Maldives is willing to take part in the Belt and Road Initiative and supports common development and prosperity, said Yameen.

Fifteen hundred other Maldives government officials, diplomatic missions and representatives from all walks of life also participated in the opening ceremony.

Wang Xiaotao pays a courtesy call on the President of Maldives His Excellency Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, at the President’s Office before the opening ceremony on Aug 30, 2018. [Photo/presidency.gov.mv]