Ministry of Foreign Affairs have stated that Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid did not state that Maldives wants to "restructure" its debt to China

Associated Press (AP) recently published an article in which it quoted the Maldivian Minister as saying that the"country needs to restructure its massive debt to China" which has put the island nation in a difficult situation.

Ministry would like to clarify that Minister Shahid in his interview with AP did not state that Maldives wants to "restructure" its debt to China. He did speak about the reckless and irresponsible borrowings of the former regime. He also expressed his confidence that Maldives-China relationship is strong and vibrant enough to allow for discussions on all matters of mutual interest and hoped to see the relationship grow to new heights during President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's administration," the Ministry said in a tweet.

Chinese Ambassador to the Maldives Zhang Lizhong also dismissed the article as fake and noted that he had contacted Minister Shahid, who cleared all confusion regarding the situation.

The country’s Chinese debt currently totals about $1.4 billion.