China defends ‘completely normal’ Maldives investments
The three largest Chinese projects are together worth $1.5 billion and there will be repayment problems, a think-tank says.
14 Jul 2018, 9:00 AM
Chinese investments in Maldives resorts are “completely normal,” the country’s ambassador said, rejecting claims of land grabs and debt traps.
Ambassador Zhang Lizhong was speaking last week at a forum aimed at promoting tourism ties between the two countries. China has been the largest supplier of tourists for eight consecutive years and more than 300,000 Chinese tourists visit the archipelago every year, he said.
But the world’s second biggest economy, which has a mammoth infrastructure project spanning dozens of countries, has also been charged with land grabbing in the Maldives and dragging it into a debt trap.
China has previously hit back at both accusations, but its ambassador went on the defensive again.
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