Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Maldivian counterpart Mohamed Muizzu have elevated their countries' bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. President Xi and Muizzu signed 20 key agreements, including those related to tourism cooperation, disaster risk reduction, the blue economy, and strengthening investment in the digital economy. Muizzu's state visit to China comes amid a diplomatic row with India over derogatory remarks by his ministers against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a report by the EU Election Observation Mission of Maldives, which accused the ruling coalition of deploying anti-India sentiments and spreading disinformation in the 2023 presidential elections. During his visit, Muizzu appealed to China to intensify efforts to send more tourists to the Maldives, as Indian tourists, who constitute the largest number of visitors to the tourism-dependent nation, have cancelled reservations due to the diplomatic row. In addition to discussions with Xi, Muizzu is also expected to meet Chinese Premier Li Qiang and other senior officials before his return to the Maldives. Muizzu praised the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects, saying they provided significant infrastructure development in the Maldives. He also reaffirmed his commitment to implementing the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) signed with China, aiming to boost bilateral trade and exports, especially in fish products. In addition, Muizzu sought investments from Chinese companies for 11 projects at the Maldives Investment Forum. China-Maldives bilateral trade in 2022 totalled to USD 451.29 million, with China's exports constituting USD 451.29 million against USD 60,000 of exports from the Maldives. Muizzu's visit to China has sparked controversy at home, with the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party criticizing him for rupturing relations with India. Nevertheless, Muizzu's visit signifies the growing importance of China as a strategic partner for the Maldives.