China to step up cooperation with Peoples’ Majlis
- Chinese Embassy to be opened

Speaker of the Peoples’ Majlis Abdulla Shahid met with his Chinese counterpart, China's top legislator, Wu Bangguo, at the Peoples’ Majlis yesterday and called for closer relations between the two parliaments.

Both Wu and Speaker Shahid said that the growth of bilateral relations in recent years had yielded substantial benefits for the two peoples.

Wu said China valued ties with the Maldives and was willing to maintain friendly exchanges and cooperation at all levels in an effort to expand political mutual trust and economic and trade cooperation in fields such as fisheries, tourism, and infrastructure construction.

A Chinese Embassy will also be opened in Maldives, Wu announced. He further said that China would grant 11 scholarships to Maldivian students in 2011 and 2012. Moreover, direct Chinese flights would begin operating to the Maldives from different parts of China.

According to sources, the Chinese top legislator presented the Peoples’ Majlis with 77 laptops, 50 cameras, and two 55-inch plasma TVs.