Vice President Hussain Mohamed Latheef has concluded his official visit to China and Switzerland.

As part of his official visit to China to attend the ‘China-Indian Ocean Region Forum on Development Cooperation’, the Maldivian vice president met Maldivian students at the Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan Province on December 6.

The discussion centered on the academic and overall experiences of the Maldivian students pursuing their studies at Yunnan University under the auspices of the Yunnan Provincial Government Scholarship.

VP Latheef raised the issue of the US dollar withdrawal limit for overseas transactions and reassured the students of the administration’s understanding of the complications associated with the limitation. The students also shared their collective experiences and grievances with him.

The ‘China-Indian Ocean Region Forum on Development Cooperation' was organized by the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA).

The forum was held from December 7–8.

VP Latheef also visited the Qujing Tongquan Wind Farm and the Training Base for the Yunnan Sports Working Team in Kunming Yunnan Province.

Further, he attended the welcoming banquet of the ‘China-Indian Ocean Region Forum on Development Cooperation’ and delivered a statement at the opening of the forum, where he stated that Maldives stands ready to forge stronger bonds, share expertise, and work hand in hand towards a resilient and prosperous Indian Ocean Region.

Highlighting that China has been crucial to the recent development of the island nation, VP Latheef added that the solid mutual commitment of the two countries to a people-centric strategy which aims to promote social development, peace as well as prosperity.

The Maldivian VP also met the Secretary of the Yunnan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Wang Ning, as part of the visit.

He then traveled to Geneva, Switzerland on December 9 to attend the high-level event to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Human Rights 75).

In Geneva, he met a number of foreign diplomats including Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the State of Palestine Riad Al-Malki, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Cuba Inés María Chapman Waugh, Director General of WTO Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Social Affairs and Employment of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Karien van Gennip among others.

He also visited the Permanent Mission of Maldives in Geneva and inquired about the operations there.

As part of the trip, VP Latheef delivered a statement of pledges on behalf of the government of Maldives, at the Pledging Tree session of the high-level event "Human Rights 75" held in Geneva, where he delivered five pledges and reiterated the commitment of the incumbent government of President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, to enhance efforts in capacity building, to develop a culture of human rights in the Maldives.

He also delivered a statement at the opening ceremony panel discussion on human rights at the Human Rights 75 high-level event, where he stated that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights emphasize on equality and the inherent dignity of all individuals, leaving no room for partiality.

The Maldivian VP also spoke at the roundtable on the Future of Human Rights, Environment, and Climate, where he stressed the urgent need for global solidarity in addressing environmental challenges for all, across the globe.

He also met with dignitaries from other countries and heads of UN agencies on the sidelines of the event.

VP Latheef returned to Maldives on Thursday morning.