Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid has said the Maldives is immensely privileged to have the support and generosity of friends, such as China.
In a statement issued following the arrival of medical aid donated by the government and companies of China, Foreign Minister Shahid said the Maldives has received a timely and necessary supply of epidemic prevention materials amid a community spread of COVID-19 growing fast in various parts of the country and is threatening to ravage lives and livelihoods of Maldivians. The minister said the Maldives remains steadfast in the resolve to contain, control, and eventually make the country free of COVID-19. He noted both Maldivians and non-Maldivians are showing an extraordinary level of resilience in overcoming the challenge.
Furthermore, the foreign minister expressed gratitude to the people and the government of China, adding President Xi Jinping and State Councillor and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi understood the needs of the Maldives in overcoming both the humanitarian and the economic challenges of COVID-19. He also thanked Ambassador of China to the Maldives Zhang Lizhong for the support and friendship with the people of the Maldives.
''I am grateful to the Ambassador and his staff at the Embassy for working extremely hard to charter the flight for transporting the equipment and materials to the Maldives today. I am humbled by the simple gestures of friendship offered by the Chinese community living here in the Maldives during this challenging time,'' the minister said in the statement.
The donations to the Maldives were sent from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, Alibaba Foundation/Jack Ma Foundation, China Merchants Port Group, China Machinery Engineering Corporation, Beijing Urban Construction Investment & Development, Dongfang Electric International Corporation, China Harbour Engineering Company, China Communications 2nd Navigational Bureau 2nd Engineering and Huawei Technologies. The donations include 209,080 disposable protective masks, 11,500 N95 protective masks, 20,000 KN95 protective masks, 50 infrared thermometers, 500 goggles, 350 medical protective suits, 20 care beds, 10,000 testing kits, 10 ventilators, 10,000 sampling sticks, and 10,000 detection reagent extractant. This is the largest medical donation the Maldives has received during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Chinese companies in the Maldives have also shown significant support to the efforts in responding to COVID-19. The China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) has donated 5,000 children’s masks last month and has worked with the Chinese Embassy in arranging the charter flight to bring the donations to the Maldives.