Chinese Ambassador to the Maldives, Kong Xianhua, has described the Sinamalé Bridge as a monument to the deep and enduring friendship between China and the Maldives.

Writing about his daily commute across the bridge, the Ambassador said the structure represented a transformation in Maldivian life. While ferries once served as the only means of travel between Malé, Hulhulé and Hulhumalé, he noted that the bridge had opened a new era of connectivity, easing congestion, supporting urban expansion and boosting the economy.

Ambassador Kong highlighted the challenges faced during construction, describing the project as one of the most demanding of its kind. The bridge spans the Gaadhoo Koa channel, where waves rise as high as three metres even in calm weather, and engineers also had to contend with coral reef geology, high humidity and salinity. Despite these conditions, he said Chinese engineers, using advanced technology, delivered the bridge in just 33 months.

The project was announced during President Xi Jinping’s state visit to the Maldives in 2014. It was completed in August 2018 at a cost of around 300 million US dollars. Of this, 100 million dollars came as a grant from China, while the state-owned China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) absorbed a further 100 million dollars in technical costs. The Maldivian government contributed about 74 million dollars, including a concessional loan of 63 million dollars from China at a two per cent interest rate. At the time, the Maldives’ debt-to-GDP ratio stood at about 60 per cent.

Ambassador Kong described the bridge as an example of the principle that “countries, big and small, are equals”, noting that it was not only about connecting islands but also about connecting “hearts, opportunities and futures.” He said the project reflected China’s commitment to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), to building regional communities with shared futures, and to supporting global peace and development.

Quoting President Xi, the Ambassador reiterated that China advocates “inclusive and beneficial economic globalisation” and high-quality Belt and Road cooperation so that the fruits of progress are shared more widely.

Looking ahead, Ambassador Kong expressed confidence that the friendship between the two nations would remain as steadfast as the bridge itself. “No matter how the world changes with time, the friendship between China and the Maldives will endure, unshakable, like the China–Maldives Friendship Bridge, standing against the tides,” he wrote.