SIIS Signs MOU with Maldives' Blue Belt Society

2026/07/24

On the morning of July 22, 2026, Vice President Li Kaisheng of the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies (SIIS), met with a delegation led by Ambassador Ahmed Latheef, former Foreign Secretary of Maldives and President of the Blue Belt Society. Ambassador Latheef was in Shanghai to attend the third high-level dialogue on China-South Asia Development Cooperation.

During the meeting, Vice President Li Kaisheng warmly welcomed Ambassador Latheef and his delegation, emphasizing the significant role that think tanks and scholars play in advancing bilateral exchanges. Ambassador Latheef, who served as Maldives' first Ambassador to China, noted that SIIS is the first international partner established since the founding of the Blue Belt Society. He stated that upon returning home, he would report the outcomes of this visit to the Maldivian Minister of Foreign Affairs and work together with the Chinese Ambassador to Maldives to promote bilateral exchanges and cooperation.

Following the meeting, Vice President Li Kaisheng and Ambassador Ahmed Latheef jointly signed a Memorandum of Understanding. Under the agreement, both sides will deepen practical cooperation in areas such as academic exchanges, personnel visits, and joint research.

Present at the signing ceremony were Dr. Liu Zongyi, Director of the Center for South Asian Studies at SIIS and Chinese Director of the Center for China Studies (SIIS-DU); Ms. Zhu Juhua, Director of the Department of International Exchanges; and Dr. Li Hongmei and Dr. Tan Chenyi, research fellows from the Center for South Asian Studies.