By: Sandeep Dhand .
WebDesk
10 January
The Maldivian President’s woes continue to mount as reports of Indian tourists canceling bookings following a diplomatic spat over insulting comments made by Maldivian ministers on the Indian Prime Minister. Meanwhile, the President of Maldives recently appealed to China to send more tourists to Maldives. On the second day of his five-day visit to China, the Maldivian President addressed the Maldives Business Forum in Fujian Province, describing China as the island nation’s closest ally. He said that China is one of our closest allies and development partners.
He also praised the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2014 and said that before Covid, China was the largest tourist destination in our country. I request that China should redouble its efforts in this regard. After the insulting comments made by some Maldivian ministers on social media platforms against the Prime Minister of India, the ‘Maldives Tourism Industry’ has said that it strongly condemns such insulting comments. We are ashamed. India has always stood first with Maldives in times of trouble. India has been a consistent and significant contributor to the Maldivian tourism industry.