An agreement has been signed between China's Tianjin National Maritime Museum and the Maldivian Heritage Ministry.

Under this agreement, an exhibition from the Maldives National Museum will be held in China for the first time. Minister Heena Waleed signed the agreement on behalf of the Maldives, while Wang Long, Director of the Tianjin National Maritime Museum, signed on behalf of China.

The signing of the agreement took place during a special meeting held yesterday when Minister Heena visited the museum and met with its senior officials as part of her ongoing official trip to China.

According to the agreement, a special exhibition from the Maldives is scheduled to be held in museums across various Chinese cities early next year. In return, a special Chinese exhibition will also be hosted at the National Museum of the Maldives. Accordingly, plans have been finalized to hold exhibitions titled "Ancient Chinese Shipbuilding" and "Navigation Technology: The Maritime Silk Road Connecting China and the Maldives."

The Heritage Ministry stated that the main objective of these exhibitions is to showcase the historical ties of navigation and the "Maritime Silk Road" on an international platform. Another key aim is to secure technical assistance and training opportunities for Maldivian professionals. Additionally, the agreement provides for both countries to jointly conduct research on archaeological sites and artifacts located across various regions of the Maldives.

During the meeting, both parties held extensive discussions on further developing the skills and knowledge of Maldivian personnel. The ministry noted that they exchanged views on potential collaborations with Chinese universities to build human resource capacity in the fields of culture, heritage, museum management, and modern technology.