Vice President Latheef Arrives in China for Blue Economy Forum

Vice President Hussain Mohamed Latheef has arrived in China to attend the ‘Third China-Indian Ocean Region Forum on Blue Economy Development Cooperation.’

Upon his arrival at Kunming Changshui International Airport, Vice President Latheef was welcomed by Luo Hongjiang, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the People’s Congress of Yunnan Province; Tang Ying, Head of the Global Development Promotion Center of the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA); and Wang Wei, Deputy Director General of the Foreign Affairs Office of Yunnan Province.

The Maldives is playing a key role as a co-host of this year’s forum, which is organised by CIDCA. The event, taking place from December 15 to 17 in Kunming, Yunnan Province, revolves around the theme “The Future of the Blue Indian Ocean Development, Practice of the Global South.”

The forum’s agenda includes opening and closing ceremonies, thematic discussions, subforums, and round tables on various pertinent topics. For the first time, the forum will also feature a dialogue between governments and enterprises, according to CIDCA. This dialogue aims to discuss feasible pathways and best practices for multi-stakeholder engagement in international development cooperation.

Vice President Latheef, attending at the invitation of the Chinese government, is scheduled to deliver an address at the forum’s inaugural ceremony. His participation marks a continued engagement, as he also attended the second edition of the forum held in China in December 2023.