The good-neighborly and friendly relationship between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Maldives continued to move forward in 2013.

     Good momentum of political contacts was maintained. In January, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi visited Maldives. He met with President Mohamed Nasheed and had talks with Foreign Minister Ahmed Shaheed. In September, Governor Qin Guangrong of Yunnan Province visited Maldives and met with President Mohamed Nasheed. In July, National Tourism Administration Chairman Shao Qiwei, as the representative of the Chinese government, and Maldivian Minister of Economic Development Mahmood Razee attended the celebrations of the National Pavilion Day for Maldives at the Shanghai World Expo. In May, President Mohamed Nasheed paid a state visit to China and attended the relevant activities of the Shanghai World Expo. President Hu Jintao held talks with President Mohamed Nasheed.

     Continuous progress was made in economic cooperation and trade. Bilateral trade volume surged. The Chinese government continued to provide economic assistance to Maldives according to its ability. In July, the Maldivian National Museum that China built was completed and delivered to Maldives. In August, Minister of Commerce Chen Deming paid a visit to Maldives, during which he met with President Mohamed Nasheed and held talks with Minister of Economic Development Mahmood Razee, Minister of Housing, Transport and Environment Mohamed Aslam and other Maldivian officials. The two sides signed the Framework Agreement on China's Preferential Loans to the Republic of Maldives Between the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the Republic of Maldives and the MOU on Enhancing Economic and Technical Cooperation in Energy-saving and Environmental Protection Between the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China and the Ministry of Housing, Transport and Environment of the Republic of Maldives. In November, a foundation stone laying ceremony was held for the project of 1,000 residential housing units financed by the Chinese government's preferential loans and undertaken by a Chinese company.

      Cooperation in tourism and other areas as well as people-to-people exchanges kept deepening. Maldivian statistics show that Chinese tourists made about 120,000 visits to Maldives in 2010, making China the top source of visitors to Maldives. In February, the direct charter flight was launched between Beijing and Malé. In September, the flight between Kunming and Malé was opened. People-to-people exchanges became more convenient.