A MOU between The Peoples Republic of China represented by The General Administration of Customs of the Peoples Republic of China and the Government of the Republic of Maldives represented by the Maldives Customs Service on cooperation and mutual assistance on Customs matters was signed on 24th March 2009. On behalf of Maldives Customs Service Principal Collector of Customs Mr. Mohamed Aswan signed the MOU, and Vise Minister of The General Administration of Customs of the Peoples Republic of China Mr. SUN, Songpu signed the MOU from The General Administration of Customs of the Peoples Republic of China. The signing ceremony held at Meerubahuru Maalan was attended by Customs Executives, senior officers and officials from government and private sector.

A bilateral meeting between the two administrations was held separately, to discuss and agree on an action plan for the year ahead. Discussions were held on issues related to Customs cooperation, capacity building and on sharing experience in implementation of WCO SAFE Framework of Standards.

Follow-up dialogue will be carried forward to agree on specific details of action plan implementation. We hope that this strategic partnership will offer many benefits for our two administrations.