An agreement has been signed to develop 500 social housing units in Malé City with assistance from the government of China.

The Ministry of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development said the agreement was reached on the sidelines of the Third High-Level Conference on Global Action for Shared Development held in Beijing from 21 to 22 April.

During the discussions, both sides agreed to proceed with plans to establish the housing units in Malé City with Chinese support.

Formalised through the signing of meeting minutes, the agreement was signed on behalf of the Maldives Government by State Minister at the Ministry of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development, Ibrahim Thoaam Mohamed, while Vice Chairman of the China International Development Cooperation Agency, Liu Junfeng, signed on behalf of the Chinese government.

The Ministry said the project will be implemented under an interest-free financing facility provided by the Chinese government.

In addition, a bilateral meeting with the China International Development Cooperation Agency was held to discuss grant assistance projects, with both sides reaffirming their commitment to strengthening development cooperation.